The Celadon Job: Early Draft
by HCHawke
Summary: What happens when an ex-cop, a hacker with a grudge, and a crew of gold-hearted rogues go toe to toe with one of the largest crime families in the Kanto region? A little event known as the Celadon Job. Join Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak as they plan one of the largest heists of all time against the powerful Team Rocket crime family! AdvanceShipping, IkariShipping, EgoShipping. AU.
1. Chapter 1

So, I decided to switch it up a bit. I've had this idea for a while, as a conglomeration of shows like Leverage, and movies like Ocean's 11/12/13, The Italian Job, and a few others. I finally decided to put it to words. This will be a crime story about an ex-cop and a crew of loveable rogues, trying to do the right thing and make some money in the process. Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon universe. Unfortunately. Reviews and Feedback heavily encouraged.

* * *

Viridian City, Kanto

Ash Ketchum sat on the barstool, glaring up at the television that hung from the wall of the Viridian Bar and Grill, half eaten burger in his hands. News coverage of the release of Silver Sakaki, a witness in one of the largest trials in the Kanto Region in recent history. Silver had testified against a major player in Team Rocket in front of a grand jury, as part of a plea bargain.

While normally Ash would have been happy seeing one of the Rocket bosses behind bar, even if a lesser grunt walked, what he saw on the television made him feel sick.

The red-haired lieutenant had been involved in a small drive-by shooting that killed two in Viridian City two years ago, and Ash Ketchum, a former member of the International Police, or Interpol, had been the officer to bring him to justice, dead to rights.

Proof enough to convict Silver Sakaki for the murder of Professor Samuel Oak and Delia Ketchum. With enough evidence to put the boy away for twenty-five to life, Ash Ketchum thought for sure the boy would see justice for the murder of his mother and their friend.

Instead, he managed to get a plea bargain, testifying against Archer of Team Rocket in exchange for a lighter sentence. And now, a year after he went into the correctional facility, he was back out onto the streets, with media coverage on every local news station from here to Olivine Town. Ash scowled as he continued to glare, pushing his plate away. It was coming up on the two year anniversary of the shooting, and Ash sure as heck didn't want to spend it looking at Silver Sakaki's face.

Pulling out his wallet out of his dark jeans, he laid down enough money to cover his food and still leave a generous tip, and he left the tavern, heading out into the rain-soaked streets of Viridian City, fumbling for the keys to his car. '_I've put criminals away before. I've put dozens away for them. But the one that matters, the one I wanted put away more than anything, and they give him a free pass.'_

Ash muttered under his breath as he settled into the leather seat of his car, shoving the key into the ignition and driving off, to anywhere but there.

As he got on the road, he soon found himself heading towards Pallet Town, where he grew up. As he drove the streets of his childhood, passing his home, he spotted a familiar sight; The Oak Research Laboratory. Taking a deep breath, he drove up and threw his car into park. He wasn't sure what possessed him to stop, but he felt it was time to pay a visit to an old friend.

* * *

Oak Research Laboratory, Pallet Town, Kanto

As the low whine of his heavily customized and expensive computer filled the home office, signalling it was booting up, Gary Oak took a sip of his coffee, just trying to get his eyes to open all the way.

Gary Oak was not a morning person. He was used to keeping extremely odd hours for his job, so getting up before noon was nearly unheard of for the millionaire. Being a network security specialist, he had to be up at odd hours of the night in order to run his network attacks. To put it simply, he was a white hat hacker; he got paid to attack people's network and database security.

He smirked as he let out a large stretch, enjoying the resounding sound of cracks and pops of his joints. His coffee was beginning to kick in, finally. Smiling as his eyes opened to normal proportions instead of Brock's normal, and quickly logged into his seven separate email accounts he used for business, across his six monitor setup.

"Bill, bill, script job, thank you, bill, script job... " He sighed as he checked his inbox. "I swear, if these idiots hired decent network specialists, I'd be out of a job. What ever happened to a challenge?" he asked himself rhetorically.

Grabbing the remote control, he threw on his big screen plasma TV to the wonderful sight of SIlver Sakaki's release. Scowling, he was about to switch the channel when he heard a knock on the door.

He sighed with a frown. "Who could that possibly be at this hour?" he asked as he pulled up his security camera feed for his front door onto one of his monitors. Granted, 'this hour' was noon on a saturday, but he was Gary. 'Well, well. What're you doing here, Ashy-boy?" he asked as he got up with a curious smile, shuffling towards the door.

* * *

Ash pulled his leather pilot jacket closer around his neck, hood up to keep him somewhat dry in the Kanto rain. He was about to pound on his friend's door again when it opened up, revealing a tired looking, smirking Gary Oak standing there in sweatpants and a dark blue bathrobe.

"You're a bit early, Ashy-Boy. To what do I owe the honor?" he asked as he ushered his oldest friend into his not so humble abode. Ash wiped his feet and walked in as Gary closed the door. The brunette headed back towards his office, not even caring if Ash was following him at this point.

Of course, Ketchum had followed him, already used to interactions with the spiky-haired brunette. He'd visited several times since the funerals, though mostly on business. Six months after the shooting, Ash finally managed to get his hands on the triggerman, Silver Sakaki, partially with the help of Gary's hacking skills. Five months of courts and litigation after that, and Silver was sentenced to one year of prison. Ash quit his job at Interpol shortly after that, and Gary had turned back to corporate security.

"So seriously, what brings you home to Pallet?" Gary asked as he sat down in his office chair, turning to face his raven-haired friend.

Ash sighed, glaring at the TV. "Is he on every single channel?" he asked, annoyed.

Gary rolled his eyes. "I was about to change it when _someone_ decided to drop in…" he replied sardonically.

Ash's expression turned dark. He picked up the remote and changed the channel to another station.

"...And this comes hot on the tail of Giovanni Sakaki's announcement of the grand opening of the Celadon Game Corner Casino later this month. Silver is expected to be reunited with his father later this week, and be present for the opening."

As the news reporter continued on, Ash felt a growing urge to hurl the remote in his hand into Gary's expensive TV set. As he drew back to hurl the plastic, button-riddled brick, Gary quickly snatched it out of his hand.

"Oi! I don't come over to your house and break things!" he shouted crossly.

Ash just sighed, frustrated. "I just… One year! One blasted year, and that little punk is out, and daddy has a brand new casino, built with money from the hundreds he and the Rocket family played, robbed, or drove out of town," he said, shaking his head angrily.

Gary sighed, resting a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Look, dude, I know. I was right there with you for six months, hunting for that rat. I hate seeing him go just as much as you do, believe me, Ash. But you've got to let this go," he told his longtime friend. "How much has it cost you, now?"

Ash closed his eyes as Gary shut the TV off. "A lot," he admitted.

Gary shook his head ruefully. "Ash, it's been almost two years. I know you lost your mother, but you've got to let this go. We've done everything humanly possible against Team Rocket, and they spit it right back at us. There's nothing more we can do," he replied as he settled back into his chair.

Ash leaned his head back, still standing in front of the TV. He knew Gary was right. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew he was right. Ash had spent most of the last five years of his twenty-eight year old life hunting Team Rocket. He'd put multiple grunts behind bars, even a few admins. He'd served in the Kanto Detectives for seven years, and Interpol for two after that. He'd saved lives, put people away for crimes that sometimes kept him up at night, he'd even… fractured the occasional law in some investigations just to make sure the bad guys were off the streets.

'_If you have to jaywalk in order to catch a criminal about to shoot someone, you would,'_ his mentor used to tell him. Breaking into a suspect's house if you know they're about to destroy evidence, taking their phone records to nail them for a crime, even using Gary's… questionable contacts to locate information necessary for an arrest. As long as the bad guys were put behind bars, what did it matter how?

The pair descended into silence, only the sound of Gary's keyboard filling the office. Ash stared blankly at the television set, aimlessly listening to the constant pounding of Gary's keyboard. He'd run through the last two years over and over in his head. And now, after all his work, all his effort, all the rules he bent and broke to get Silver behind bars, and Team Rocket were unveiling a bloody casino later that month.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me…"

Turning, Ash saw Gary hunched over his keyboard, the sound of his keystrokes seeming more angry. "What's up, Gary?" he inquired.

"Someone's trying to breach my firewall," he responded, his gaze glued to his monitor.

"Any idea who's behind it?" Ash asked as he got up, heading behind his brunette friend.

"Trying to run a trace…" he replied, voice sounding strained. "Damn it. Whoever this idiot is, he's good."

Ash gripped the back of his friend's chair, watching as the countless, meaningless lines of code scrolled across the six monitors.

"On my mark, flip that breaker," the brunette told him, pointing to a small lever by his computer tower.

Ash nodded and grabbed it, holding his breath as he waiting for his friend to give the signal. After a few seconds of rapidly typing, he nodded.

"Now!" he signalled.

After pulling the breaker, the lines and lines of code stopped. All outside connectivity stopped short as Gary began combatting whatever virus was currently attacking his system. Six minutes later, he finally sat back in his chair, exhaling.

"Alright. We're clear," he told Ash as the adrenaline began to drain from his system. Sitting back up, he pulled up a window and pulled out his phone.

"What're you doing now?" Ash asked.

"Tracking the signal. It's coming from…" Gary trailed off, worrying Ash.

"Where'd it come from, Gary?" he asked.

Sighing, Gary showed his friend his phone. It read 'Celadon City, Private Property, Sakaki'. Ash's eyes widened.

"Gary, is that what I think it is?" he asked, and his friend nodded, mouth slightly ajar of shock.

"Yup."

Ash sighed, scratching the stubble on his cheek. "Should we call the police about it?" he asked. He knew that Gary occasionally ran with people of questionable ethics and legal standing, despite helping Ash with several investigations, so the police weren't Gary's favorite people.

Scratching the back of his neck, Gary shook his head with a frown. "I have no proof of it that I can use. You have any idea what they'd say if I told them 'Yeah, these people tried to hack me. How do I know it's them? I hacked them back, of course!' Yeah, that'll get me far…" he replied with a sigh.

"Do you know what they were after?" Ash asked.

"If I had to guess? Probably my business information, likely on Sliph Co. Look Ash, as much as I'd love a reason to put these guys into the ground, there's no way we can legally go after them. It's just the way the stupid justice system works," Gary told him as he began bringing his network back online. He didn't notice the frown on Ash's face, the confusion and realization that had dawned on him.

"Say that again," he replied, eyes taking on an intense look.

"What, how the justice system is a joke?" Gary asked, shooting his friend an odd look.

"No, before that," he stated.

"We can't legally go after them?" Oak asked, even more confused now.

Ash just nodded, looking back at the monitors. "That's it. You're a genius! Why didn't I think of it sooner?" he asked himself rhetorically.

Gary spun in his chair to see Ash walk around the room, pacing. "Ashy-Boy? What, exactly, did I say?" he asked, wondering if Ketchum had finally lost it.

Ash tapped his chin in thought as he paced. "We can't hit them legally. It's impossible. Giovanni has too many officials, too many judges, officer Jennies in his pocket. The only reason Silver got out was because he ratted out Archer, which in turn gave more power of the Rocket family to Giovanni. The only way to hit him is outside the law," he explained quickly, the pacing beginning to make Gary dizzy.

"And that helps us… how, exactly?" he asked. '_He's finally cracked. But if he's thinking what I think he's thinking...'_

"The only way to bring Giovanni down is to play by his rules," Ash concluded, turning to his friend with a glint in his eye. One that Gary had only seen when Ash was about to fracture a law to get a suspect.

"Ash… Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking…" he pleaded.

"Look, my old mentor always used to say, 'If you have to jaywalk in order to catch a criminal about to shoot someone, you would.' I keep thinking of how to bust them like a cop," he told him, walking up to his friend with a smile that was slightly terrifying to Gary. "I've had it staring me in the face all this time, I just didn't see it. The only way to bring down a criminal like Giovanni is to play by his rules," he explained.

"And what, pray tell, does that entail?" Gary asked.

Ash exhaled, a grin settling onto his face. "Alright, we both know that if that casino opens, the Rocket family will have a fortune rolling in, right?" he asked. Gary nodded, so he continued. "So, we'd need to shut the casino down before it begins. And if we can't get at him legally, the only way to do that is to ruin him by other means."

"Ash, what you're suggesting would get us arrested for a very, _very_ long time, my friend. I'm too pretty for prison," Gary complained, but Ash just shook his head.

"You forget, Gary, I used to be a cop. I know how they'd think, how to avoid them, and besides, you really think the police would overly mind if the newest, untouchable Rocket front was hit?" he asked.

Gary had to hand it to him, his logic was sound. Scary coming from someone who spent most of his life playing by the book, by the law, and putting away people who would suggest this. But, then again, Ash wasn't a cop anymore. He was just an ex-Interpol officer with a grudge and a plan. '_At least, I _hope _he has a plan… Wait, am I actually considering this?!'_

"Come on, Gary. We both know that the Sakaki's are rotten to the core. We'd be doing Kanto a favor removing them from power," Ash prodded. "You know computer systems better than anyone I know. If anyone could get us into their systems, it'd be you."

Gary waved his hand, screwing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth. "Look, enough with the 'us' already. What makes you think I want to throw out all my lucrative contracts, reputation, and go toe to toe with the biggest crime boss in Kanto _AND _ Johto?" he asked, looking back to his friend.

Ash simply looked his friend in the eye. "Because no one else will. Because Silver killed your grandfather and by extension my mother because Team Rocket wanted the research your grandfather found. Because, like you said, the justice system is a joke. And, because it's the right thing to do," Ash replied with such conviction, even Gary was beginning to contemplate his crusade.

It was true, Team Rocket had had Professor Oak gunned down so they could break into his laboratories during the funeral. They had taken just about everything related to his research, so Gary had heavily upgraded the lab's security systems, and assisted Ash in his investigation into the shootings. But, even now, they were still attacking the lab, albeit remotely now.

Gary tapped the ends of his fingers together, looking at his luxurious navy blue carpet, deep in thought. Finally, he sighed and looked back to Ash, a smile creeping onto his face. "I never thought I'd see the day when you wanted to play the other side." Taking a deep breath and blowing it out, he nodded. "Alright, let me see who I can get. If you want to knock over a casino, you'll need a crew."

Ash smiled. "I assume an upstanding citizen like you can put one together?" he asked. "We'll need a tech specialist, a hitter, a grifter, and a mechanic for what I have in mind," he continued, counting off on his fingers, and Gary nodded up until the mechanic.

"Uh. Alright, I can do that, but you might not care too much for some of the people I get. I mean, you've chased a lot of the underworld, and some of them might not take too kindly to you. You think you can play nicely?" he asked.

Ash nodded. "If you can get them to go with this, I'll work with whoever. I can fund part of this with what's left of my savings account, and we can pay whatever mercenaries you get with proceeds from the job," he replied, crossing his arms as Gary spun around back to his computer, pulling up faces onto each monitor. One, two, three, four, five…

"Wait, _Misty_?! That's your mechanic?" Ash questioned, and Gary just rolled his eyes.

"We both know she's the best. If you want this done right, we do it right," Gary snapped.

Ash sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. Alright, make the calls."

* * *

Sunnyshore City, Sinnoh

"Oof!" the man grunted as he was slammed against the wall, hard. Staring back at him were a pair of onyx eyes, attached to a head of purple hair, falling to the man's shoulders. The assailant was wearing a black denim jacket, dark purple knit ski cap, dark grey cargo pants, heavy boots, and a look that told him that this man would kill him without a second thought.

"I- I already told you everything I know!" he told the purple-haired man, feeling close to wetting himself.

He watched as the assailant pulled his arm back, and he closed his eyes and flinched, waiting for the blow to land. To his surprise, it didn't.

"Shinji. Speak."

Opening his eyes, he saw the thug had pulled out a cellphone, and was talking on it.

"No, I can talk. Six figures? Kanto. Alright, I'm in. I'll be there," he said intermittently, before he hung up, pocketing his phone. Glancing back at the man he was currently holding against a wall, the purple-haired man smirked. Right before slamming his head into his target's.

* * *

Hearthome City, Sinnoh

"Come on, Dawn, one date, that's all I ask!"

The blunette woman sighed, putting her hands into the pockets of her white trenchcoat. She genuinely liked Kenny. He was a good guy, but she knew things wouldn't work out between them. After all, he was an accountant with a fairly large firm here in Hearthome. And her? Dawn prided herself on her acting abilities, and had a steady cover job as an actress.

In her off time, however, she was a thief. A grifter. Some would say a con woman, but she prefered the term con artist. Con men and women left their targets angry. Con artists left them with a smile, not realizing they had been had. And while she could easily, _easily_ take Kenny's attraction for her to the bank and back, she had a strict code of honor. She only hit marks who could stand to lose the money, and only ones who used their money and power to harm others.

"Look, Kenny, you're a nice guy and all, but it just wouldn't work. Trust me," she told him, trying to let him down easy.

"Dawn, we've known each other since we were kids. It's not like I'm asking you to marry me, just a simple dinner," he told her, looking at her with pleading eyes.

As she opened her mouth to refuse again, she felt her phone ring in her pocket. Sighing, she pulled it out, raising a finger to the auburn-haired man.

"Dawn Berlitz, how may I help you?" she answered with a sweet voice, before frowning. "Gary? Uh, yeah, I can talk. A job offer? Where, exactly? Kanto?"

Kenny frowned as he listened to Dawn talk with this 'Gary'. Kanto was a separate region entirely.

"What's the part, exactly?" she asked, placing her other hand on her hip. Suddenly her eyes widened. "That's... " She sighed. "Alright. I'll be on a plane tonight. Yup, see you then," she finished, hanging up her phone and giving Kenny an apologetic smile. "Sorry, that was a friend of mine. He's got a part for me to play in one of his upcoming co-..." She coughed as she caught her slip. "Upcoming county/western films," she finished, blushing slightly.

Kenny sighed and nodded. "I understand. Show business and all. So, you're going to Kanto?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm really sorry it's such short notice, but it's a bit of a time sensitive part," she explained.

He waved away her concerns. "No, I understand completely. Go, break a leg, or whatever you do in show business. I actually might be out in Kanto in a few weeks, maybe we can meet up then," he suggested.

Dawn smiled. "If I'm not too busy, sure," she told the boy as she stepped off the curb, hailing a cab. She had to go home and pack for her latest role.

* * *

Slateport City, Hoenn

"It'll be fine, May. I'm telling you, it'll hold your weight completely," the twenty-three year old computer techie told her. Wearing a forest green dress shirt, khaki pants, a pair of glasses, head of green-blue hair and a smirk, the boy held out a repelling rig to his older sister. "I designed it myself, five point harness, three point weight support, carbon fiber line, auto-breaking resistance, the whole nine yards."

May sighed, taking the rig and looking it over. She brushed her long brown hair behind her ears as she studied her brother's creation. It looked perfect, but she wasn't sure about any untested tech, which Max was known for. Sighing again, she nodded and began slipping the harness on over her red windbreaker jacket and tight blue jeans. "Alright, but if this drops me, I'm going to destroy your computer setup at home," the brunette warned.

Max just smirked at his sister. "You worry too much, May."

The siblings had always had a love-hate relationship with each other growing up. When the two began their career as professional thieves, it intensified, but the two always got the job done. May had become one of the best cat burglars in Hoenn and Max had a reputation for designing and using some of the best tech his genius-level mind could invent. Together, the two had hit several lucrative targets without getting so much as implicated, with May doing the fieldwork and Max acting as support to his sister. Despite their bickering and arguing, they made a great team.

As the brunette attacked the line to the ceiling of the warehouse they were currently in, Max returned to his laptop, set up on the platform they were on. Giving his sister a grin and a thumbs up, he went to work typing, leaving May to hook onto the line with her harness and test it out.

Now, she wasn't stupid. She knew her brother's inventions normally worked brilliantly. But, on rare occasion, he forgot something. That's why she was currently twenty feet in the air over a giant safety stunt bag. '_Alright May, now or never,'_ she thought to herself as she jumped off the platform.

As she fell through the air towards the bag, the harness began to work, slowing her descent to a crawl. As her feet touched neared the bag, she hit the release on the harness, and it dropped her lightly onto the overstuffed back with a grin.

"And the verdict is?" Max asked from above, poking his head over the side of the raised platform.

She gave him a thumbs up. "Alright, you win, I'll find a way to use it in our next heist," she replied, working her way to the edge of the pillow to climb her way back up to Max's setup, grabbing a water bottle on the way up.

When she finally did climb up, however, she heard her brother's ringtone go off. Frowning, he picked it up. "Max Maple, custom technology and equipment, how may I help you?" he asked. "Gary? Gary Oak? Wow, you're a blast from the past. What's up?"

May looked up from the floor where she sat with her water bottle. Last time she heard that name was four years ago. Gary was a hacker who played both sides, but he had a reputation for getting it done and getting his crew paid. Granted, he was a mercenary when it came down to it, but any crew he was with had nothing to fear.

"Job offer, eh? Alright, but you know, we're a box set. Kanto? Alright, I think we can do that," he told him slowly, glancing at May. She nodded. She had no major gigs planned in Hoenn, and a vacation could be good. "Yeah, we're in. We'll see you soon," Max replied as he hung up his phone and pocketed it, beginning to take apart his extensive laptop setup for transit.

"So, what's Gary got for us? May asked as she got up and stretched.

"Wouldn't say," Max replied, pulling bags out and shoving gear in. "Only that he had a big job out in Kanto for us. Six figures."

May's eyes shot open. "Six?" she asked, not quite believing the hundred thousand minimum payout.

He glanced up. "Come on, it's Gary. He's always got something up his sleeve. Don't let the whole white hat act fool you."

May grinned at the thought of such high level work. A chance to test herself. And the payout certainly wasn't bad either.

* * *

Cerulean City, Kanto

"I still don't see why you couldn't just phone her," Ash whined as Gary drove his sports car through the streets of Cerulean City, looking for the Gyarados Garage.

"Because, Ashy-Boy, if I called her, and she came all the way to Celadon City, and then saw you and decided not to join up? She'd pound us both into the ground. This way, we know for sure if she's in," the spiky-haired brunette explained, idly pulling a piece of lint off his black dress shirt.

Ash just grumbled in the passenger seat. '_At least the rain had stopped,'_ he reflected as the pulled into the Garage parking lot. The two exited the car, heading for the front door.

Gary strode forward with purpose, black dress shirt, dark jeans, spotless shoes, and his purple, teardrop-shaped pendant around his neck. Ash, however, kept his head low and hood up on his leather jacket, simple black tee underneath, normal blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers.

Inside, the receptionist smiled at the pair. "Welcome to the Gyarados Garage," she greeted them.

Gary gave her his best, heart melting smile. "Afternoon beautiful. Is Misty in?" he asked, as smooth as molasses.

"She, uh, she's in the… the… the back!" the receptionist said, blushing like mad.

Gary smirked. "Thanks," he told her as he headed through the indicated door, Ash hot on his heels, leaving the poor receptionist to compose herself.

As the two walked across the noisy car shop, Ash spotted a pair of long, shapely legs in jeans sticking out from beneath one of the cars. Tapping Gary on the shoulder, he pointed it out, and Gary nodded, walking over and prodding her boot with his shoe.

"One sec," came the reply from beneath the hood. After a few seconds, the legs pulled themselves out on a crawler, revealing an athletic body wearing a heavy sleeved apron, a face marked with grease, and a gray bandana holding down a set of brilliant orange hair. She also had a look of disbelief on her face as she stood up.

"Afternoon Red," Gary greeted with the same smile he used on the receptionist. She promptly ignored him, looking directly at Ash.

"Hey Misty…" Ash started.

The resounding slap echoed through the large Garage.

* * *

So, chapter one is up. I should note, that while there was PokéShipping in the past for this story, this will be an AdvanceShipping Story. Sorry any PokéShippers who read this. Maybe one day, I'll try my hand at a PokéShip, but for now, I've got enough on my plate. Anyways, I'd love to hear some feedback on this idea, anything people would like to point out, ideas, ect. Anyways, Guardians of Rota will hopefully have it's next update by tomorrow night. Hope you all enjoy The Celadon Job, and are looking forward to future chapters! God Bless.


	2. Chapter 2

Evening all. Next chapter is up, as you can likely see. In response to reviewer Farla, I can see where you're coming from. Hopefully this chapter will address your concerns and add more personality to the characters. As for the Pokémon universe, I've decided that it will be seen, but not focused on like other storylines. Anyways, with that said, I hope everyone enjoys the update! Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, ect, ect.

* * *

Gyarados Garage, Cerulean City, Kanto

Ash rubbed his stinging cheek. "Alright, I deserved that," he admitted as the furious redhead glared at him. His friend Gary simply looked amused, glancing between his oldest friend and the man's ex-flame.

"Ketchum, if the next words out of your mouth include 'Silver' or 'Investigation', so help me Arceus, I will hit you with my truck," the redhead warned dangerously.

Ash put his hands up to calm the girl.

Gary was enjoying the fact that Ash Ketchum, former Interpol agent was terrified of his ex. "Listen, Mist, you got someplace we can talk? I promise, if Ash says either word, I'll give you an alibi, alright?" Gary asked, with all the charm he could muster.

Misty glared between the two for a moment before nodding. She began walking towards the offices, indicating to follow her. The pair obeyed, following her into a small office littered with pictures of the girl's older sisters and cars, the occasional car part. A simple desk and a computer so old that it made Gary wince sat in the center of the room, and the seats consisted of seats ripped out of actual vehicles. Closing the door behind them and taking her spot behind the desk, she waved a hand to the two seats in front of her desk.

"So, what brings you two to Cerulean that it couldn't be said over the phone?" she asked defensively. Ash wasn't high on her list these days, and Gary had always been a shameless flirt, not even worth her time. Together…

"We'd like to offer you a job," Gary told her, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head and a smirk on his face.

Misty shook her head. "I _have_ a job, as you recall. I manage this garage," she stated, gauging them both. '_What are you two up to...'_ she thought to herself, eyes narrowing.

"No. Not a day job. Some custom work. Listen, you watch the news lately?" Gary asked.

MIsty nodded slowly. Silver had been on the news for the past few hours since his release. "So, Ash won't say Silver, but you will? Get out," she told them flatly.

"Misty, five minutes. That's all we ask," Ash told her.

Against her better judgement, she nodded. "Fine. You have five minutes. Speak," she told them.

Gary smirked. "As you've likely heard, there's a new Casino opening in Celadon City in three weeks. Giovanni Sakaki's place. We want to hit it," the brunette told her bluntly, running a hand through his brown, spiky hair.

Misty rolled her eyes and deadpanned. "This is my shocked face, can you tell?" she asked them sardonically. "Look, I don't want to hear about Silver, or Team Rocket, or Interpol Investigations, or the justice system," she told them, doing her best to control her temper.

That's when Gary's face broke into a grin. "Good. Because we've tried Interpol and the justice system. Didn't get far. So we're trying a different method," he explained.

Ash leaned forward, folding his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. "We're not going to arrest Giovanni. We're going to rob him."

Misty blinked. She stared at Ash like he had grown a second head. Turning back to Gary, she saw his grin threatened to crack his face, it had spread so wide. She shook her head and blinked a few times.

"Well, I think my hearing is going from all those car stereo systems I've installed," she rationalised. "Either that or I'm going insane, because I could swear that you, Ash Ketchum, former Boy Scout, former Police Officer, and former Interpol Agent just suggested _robbing_ a casino. Run by one of the most powerful men in Kanto," she explained, beginning to laugh lightly.

Gary's grin didn't waver. "Yup. You heard right, Red. So, you in?" he asked, as if asking something simple, like going out to lunch. Granted, Misty would have turned lunch down in a second, but this…

She shook her head in disbelief. "So, let me get this straight; You two want to knock over the Celadon Game Corner Casino. Run by one of the more powerful members of the Rocket family," she said slowly, before being interrupted by Ash.

He raised a finger. "On opening night," he clarified.

Misty blinked. "On opening night," she repeated, "And you want to hire me to _help_ you? Do you have _any_ idea how much trouble we could all get in for even _suggesting_ this?!" she asked, her voice gradually getting higher and higher. She glanced out her office windows conspiratorially. The last thing she needed was one of her people walking by and the wrong moment and thinking she was actually _considering_ this.

Ash began counting charges off on his fingers. "Conspiracy to commit grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand theft, crossing one of the largest crime families in Kanto, conspiracy to hack a private server, conspiracy to run a confidence game, possibly jaywalking," he told her.

She growled. '_Of course Ash would take that literally,_' she thought to herself. "What makes you think, in your deranged little world, that I would honestly help you both with this?!" she asked is a hushed shout. "I lost almost a year of my life while you two played cowboy, hunting down that little red headed rat, and now, after all you put me through, Ash Ketchum, you walk into _my_ garage, and want me to help you rob a bloody _casino_?! Give me one good reason I shouldn't have my receptionist call the cops on you two right now?"

Ash sighed, his expression determined. "Misty, I'm sorry things didn't work out between us. I truly am. But I lost the last two years mourning my mom and Gary's grandfather. I did everything I could to get justice done and put it behind me. And the justice system said no. The past is still there. So I'm not asking you as your ex. I'm not asking you as an officer of the law. I'm asking you as a determined, angry man. Help me bring these idiots down. Help us take everything from them, like they did to us," he told her, a strange glint in his eye.

Misty picked up her phone, debating if she was going to call the police or not. That's when Gary spoke up again.

"Did I mention the job pays at least six figures, if everything goes according to plan, possibly more?" he asked with a smirk.

While her expression didn't change on the exterior, inside she was floored. '_That's more than I make in two _years_,'_ she realized. Still, she dialled her receptionist. "Hi, Lanette?" she asked, and the two men held their breath. "I need you… to call Rusty. Tell him I need to take a few weeks off. Yeah, starting tomorrow. I know it's short notice, but something came up. Alright. Yeah, I'll be here the rest of the day. Alright, bye," she stated, hanging up and putting her phone back onto her desk.

"Alright, you two," she told them. "I assume it's not just the three of us against the house?" she asked.

Gary nodded. "You'll meet the crew when Ash does. There are four others. We'll come by to pick you up tomorrow morning," he explained, and she nodded.

She glanced at Ash, whose expression was unreadable. She considered asking if he was alright, but pride demanded otherwise. She stood. "I'll see you both tomorrow, then. I'll be in the parking lot by six," she informed them, causing Gary to groan.

"Why do people think it's normal to get up so early?" he asked rhetorically, gaining a smirk from Misty and Ash.

Tomorrow would be a busy day.

* * *

Cerulean City, Kanto

Gary sat in the passenger seat of his blue sports car, snoring lightly, as Ash drove them towards the Gyarados Garage. The streets of Cerulean City were completely empty this early in the morning, making it a simple task to get to the garage. Under normal circumstances, Gary would have only gotten to sleep a couple of hours ago. Six AM was not a time he normally acknowledged unless he had already been up twelve hours prior. So, while Ash drove Gary's expensive car down the streets, Gary caught up on some much needed sleep, and would likely still be asleep when they pulled into Celadon City. Which left Ash apprehensive.

Misty and he had parted on bad terms. The simple fact that she had agreed was still shocking, and he half expected to pull into the garage parking lot only to see a group of police come out. To be fair, he didn't blame her at all for the break up. Things just… didn't work out. Still, he wasn't looking forward to having to speak with her without Gary awake.

As he turned onto the correct street and spotted the garage parking lot, he let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. In the parking lot, sitting in her blue pickup truck was Misty Waterflower. Pulling up, he stopped in front of the garage, waiting for her to fall in behind the car. When he was sure she was following him, he started making for the highway, heading south towards Saffron City and eventually Celadon City.

* * *

Celadon City, Kanto

"Gary, we're here," Ash told his friend as he pulled into the warehouse parking lot.

"Ugh… Five more minutes…" he replied groggily. Ash had the foresight to rent the warehouse before they left Pallet for the next month using what was left of his savings, to use as a base of operations.

Throwing the car into park, he got out, slamming the door to hopefully wake the lazy brunette millionaire up. He watched with a feeling of dread as the pickup parked next to Gary's sports car. Zipping up his brown leather jacket, he made his way towards the door of the warehouse, key in hand. He had on the same jacket he had yesterday, with a set of torn up jeans, running shoes, and a white dress shirt under his jacket. His unruly raven hair wasn't brushed, and he looked tired.

As he started unlocking the door, he turned back to the vehicles, where Gary was slowly waking up. His friend had on dress slacks, a clean white button up shirt, a black vest, and a pair of spotlessly clean shoes. Oak had a history of being a lady's man since his teens. Heir to the Oak fortune, he'd always dressed well when going out, and his job as a hacker paid very well. He had an expensive lifestyle, he even had a fanclub devoted to him. What he lacked, however, were challenges.

Misty, on the other hand, had grown up in a middle-class home with three older sisters. Hand-me-downs were normal for her. Her job as the garage manager paid decently, though, so she updated her wardrobe to shy away from her sister's fashion sense. Hopping out of her truck, she wore a pair of simple jeans, a sleeveless sea-green shirt, work boots, and a light gray bandana.

She made her way over to Gary's car and opened his door, grinning as she heard the startled yelp of the brunette nearly falling , his seatbelt was on, keeping him from falling onto the pavement below his car.

"Oi! Red, I'm up, I'm up!" Gary sputtered, flailing and getting tied up in his seatbelt. Misty chuckled as she walked away from the car and towards the warehouse door. Gary, now very much awake, managed to untangle himself and get out of the car, quickly jogging over to the pair. "You know for the record, I respond much better to coffee and pretty girls rather than life threatening head injuries and suddenly losing what I'm sleeping on. You know, just for future reference," he complained as he stretched.

Ash just shook his head, a smile on his face. '_Some things never change,'_ he thought to himself, unlocking the warehouse and opening the door. As he and his two companions walked in, lights began kicking on.

"Alright, so we're in Celadon City. Now we just need to get the place set up and wait for the others to get here," Gary told them as they walked into the abandoned facility.

Misty whistled. "This place is bigger than the garage," she realized. "How much did this set you back, Gary?" she asked.

"The warehouse? Nothing. From me, anyways," he replied. "Ash paid for the warehouse rental out of his own pocket. Part of the deal," the brunette explained with a grin.

"Deal?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ash replied. "I rent the base for the crew, and he covers their rates until the payout," he explained.

"Rates?" she asked again. Misty was still a bit in the dark on everything since their conversation yesterday, recruiting her.

"Yes, rates. Some of us prefer being paid."

Glancing among them, the three realized none of them had said a word. Looking around, they saw a figure walk out of the shadows of a stack of pallets. The three froze, each watching the stranger carefully. He was wearing black jeans, a gray turtleneck, black denim jacket, fingerless gloves and a dark purple knit cap. The trio thought they saw dark purple hair falling around his face from beneath his hat.

Ash was vaguely sure he'd seen him before, but couldn't place him. Misty, however, was settling into a combat stance.

Gary just smiled. "Should have figured you'd beat us here," he said, walking towards the dark clothed man and extending a hand. "Shinji," he greeted.

Taking the hand with a rough smile, the stranger shook it. "Oak. You should know by now I do my research before a job," he told them, his voice slightly scratchy. Turning to Gary's companions, he looked them both up and down. "Ketchum. Underworld wondered where you vanished to. Never thought you'd jump sides," he told the man gruffly.

Misty and Ash frowned. "Can't say we've met. You know me, I take it?" Ash asked curiously.

"Someone like you goes off the streets, people know," he replied, turning to Misty. "What's your story?"

She blinked. "I wasn't aware I needed one," she complained, shooting Gary a look.

He just smiled. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Paul Shinji. Our hitter," he introduced with a grin. "He'll handle security and retrieval for the team, along with some other things," Gary explained.

"Good to meet you. I'm Misty," she introduced herself.

Paul nodded. "How many more?" he asked, turning back to Gary.

"We've got three more coming, then we can get into the planning phase," Gary explained as he began walking over towards one of the loading doors. "Come on, give me a hand with the door and lets get the vehicles parked, then we can set up."

An hour later, and the crew had gotten all their vehicles inside the warehouse, Paul had done a sweep of the area, and Gary was setting up his computer systems. He'd taken over a second story room overlooking the warehouse as his base of operations, likely used as an overseers office back when the warehouse was built. Offices had been selected to act as bedrooms, and now all they needed was the rest of the crew.

* * *

Private Warehouse, Celadon City, Kanto

"Max, are you sure this is the place?" May asked.

"Yes, May, I'm sure. This is the place," Max told her as he pulled their red rental car into the parking lot. Even though he would argue it to the death, he was beginning to wonder if he had the right address himself. Would he admit that? No way.

As he found a spot and parked, he began wondering what sort of job Gary had for them. '_Gary's a hacker. What use would he have for a tech specialist _and _a thief? Just me, I could see, maybe upgrading some tech or security of one of his clients, but why bring May into this too?'_

May undid her seatbelt and got out of the car, enjoying the cool Kanto air, wearing a set of jeans, sandals, a red blouse, and her signature red bandana keeping her brown hair from her sapphire eyes.

Max exited the driver side, wearing a simple green t-shirt and khaki pants, sneakers, and his glasses. The two nodded to each other and headed towards the access door on the side of the warehouse. May was about to knock when he saw another car pull into the lot, this one white.

"Who's that?" he asked.

May could only shrug as she balled her fist and began pounding on the door. A minute later, the door was opened by a brunette man with spiky brown hair and a grin.

"Max!" he greeted. "It's been, what, a year since that tech job in Johto? Good to see ya," he told him, holding his hand out to Max, who shook it with a smile.

"It's been too long, Gary. This is my sister, May," he introduced, indicating the brunette girl beside him who offered Gary her hand.

Gary nodded and took the hand, kissing the back. "The pleasure is mine," he stated.

May simply smirked. "You're trouble, aren't you?" she asked sarcastically. "Flattery will get you nowheres, you know," she told him as she went back towards the car to get her things.

Gary looked around and finally saw the second car. "You guys take two vehicles?" he asked. Before Max could answer, the door of the white car opened, revealing a beautiful woman with midnight blue hair, a white trenchcoat, high heeled shoes, and a confident smile.

Max's jaw dropped. "Is… Is that Dawn Berlitz, the Sinnoh actress?" he asked.

Gary's grin only widened. "You would be correct, my young Hoenn friend," he replied, poking fun at the fact that Max was the youngest person on his crew. "As much as I'd like to tell you she's here for me, though, she's part of the crew. I'll go open the loading bay doors, grab your car and let's get you, May, and Miss Berlitz offloaded."

It was a few hours after noon when the crew were all finally settled into the operations room. Gary had set up several of his monitors in addition to a projector screen system. Max had commandeered a table for his own laptop and variety of technical gadgets and equipment. The rest had all settled into chairs around the room, each waiting for full introductions and the plan.

Gary stood up in the front, his back to the window overlooking the warehouse floor. "Welcome all, and thanks for coming. I hope you all had a good trip," he began. "I am, as you all know, Gary Oak. The greatest hacker in Kanto, and possibly the world," he said with a bow.

"And he's just _so_ humble…" Misty remarked sarcastically. May and Dawn giggled, and Ash nodded in agreement, a smile on his face.

Smirking, Gary continued. "Many of you probably know former Interpol officer Ketchum, AKA our mastermind for this job. Ash is in charge. If any of you have a problem working for a former cop, you're free to leave. No hard feelings, and thanks for coming."

The brunette glanced around. No one got up. "Alright then, welcome to Operation 'Break the House'. First up, we've got Misty Waterflower," he told them, pointing out the redhead sitting with her legs up on one of the tables. "Misty's our mechanic and driver. She's one of the best racers on the Kanto circuits."

She nodded, getting a few raised eyebrows, even from Ash.

"Next up, Paul Shinji," Gary continued, indicating the quiet purple-haired man. "Paul's our hitter, and will be one of our insiders. He's capable of killing you with his bare hands, and is fully versed in knives, firearms, martial arts, retrieval, and generally hitting people."

"Hn," Paul responded, ignoring the looks the others gave him.

"The one person here everyone probably knows, besides me and my handsome face of course, is Dawn Berlitz. She a famous actress from Sinnoh. What you didn't know is that Dawn here is one of the best grifters in Sinnoh. She's run confidence games all over the region and she's going to be our other insider."

Dawn stood up and gave them a polite bow. "A pleasure. I can't wait to get this show started," she told the others.

"Finally, you have the Maple Siblings, May and Max. Max's one of the best technicians and equipment specialists I know. He can play backup hacker, if I'm otherwise occupied. He can also program a VCR, should we need it," Gary joked, gaining some light chuckles.

"May, on the other hand, is one of the best thieves you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting. She can lift everything out of your pockets just by smiling at you and pick a lock in seconds. She also has a major sweet tooth. Every major jewel heist in Hoenn in the past four years were pulled by one of two crews. The Maples were the more successful crew."

The pair smiled, nodding their heads to their compatriots.

Gary took a seat in front of his computer and waved for Ash to continue. Nodding, the raven-haired ex-cop stood up and headed to the front of the room.

"Alright Gary, run it," he told the brunette. A picture of a large building appeared on one of the monitors.

"Three weeks from now, Giovanni Sakaki opens the Celadon Game Corner Casino. Team Rocket's latest front. For those of you who don't live here in Kanto, Team Rocket are the major crime family here. Pokémon poaching and smuggling, stolen cars, money laundering, gun running, you name it, they control it here. We've got one shot to get this right, because if we screw this up, Team Rocket will destroy us. The good news is that when we hit them, we won't have to worry about any law enforcement. Giovanni won't call the Houndoom down on his own property, which gives us some room to work."

Gary moved to the next series of pictures, blueprints to a pair of buildings.

"So, for the next few weeks, recon and preparations begin," he explained. "We've managed to get the basic blueprints for the Game Corner and the Rocket's main base of operations in Celadon. Since Gary and I are fairly notorious in the Rocket ranks, several of you will be running recon jobs. Dawn, Gary's going to set you up with a fake ID and credentials to get you inside. You're going to infiltrate Giovanni's casino and get us whatever you can in the next three weeks."

The blunette nodded. "Do you have a way in for me, yet, or shall I get creative?" she asked, studying the blueprints intently.

"We were thinking movie executive from Sinnoh, wanting to use the spot for a movie shoot, but if you've got ideas, let's have em," Gary replied.

Dawn got up and slowly walked up to the screen. "What do you have on him?" she asked. A second later, the monitors changed to show a well dressed man with close-cut black hair.

Gary began going over his background. "Giovanni Sakaki, born August first, age forty-three, grew up in Alto Mare in Johto before he moved to Kanto. Took over the Sakaki branch of Team Rocket when he was twenty-three, killing his own father to do so. Wife, deceased, and a son, Silver Sakaki. A year ago, Silver did time in a Kanto correctional facility for a drive by shooting. Got a plea bargain and got his sentence reduced. His testimony put Archer Apollo, another Rocket boss, behind bars, which let Giovanni take over the Apollo's business in Celadon City."

All the while, Dawn tapped her chin in thought, a smile slowly growing on her face. "Alto Mare, huh? I'll have an identity for you to build tomorrow at the latest," she told him, returning to her seat. She folded her hands and continued listening.

Ash returned to his spot. "Shinji, you're our other insider. We want you to join Team Rocket as a grunt, so we can learn about their personal security here in Celadon. There's no way they'll leave it to the local PD, and on opening night, they'll need all hands on deck. Get in, learn what you can about the building and operating procedures," he told him. Almost as an afterthought, he added "And the vehicles. I want everything you can get on their vehicles."

The man looked sceptical, rubbing his stubble-covered chin. "Alright. Haven't done much grifting work, but I can give it a shot. I'll give Oak one of my old IDs. Get me in, and I'll get you your intel."

Ash nodded. "While Gary sorts that, you and Max are in charge of setting up a security system for the warehouse. We don't want any uninvited guests. Max, I'll also need some sort of communications other than phone. Got anything?"

The boy genius smiled. "Yeah I've got some bluetooth headset systems that I've been meaning to try. Hidden mics, real time transmission, tracking. Just get me a list and a few hours," he replied.

"Alright, good. May, you're on exterior surveillance and infiltration," Ash continued, nodding to the brunette woman. "You worked almost exclusively in Hoenn, so I doubt anyone will recognize you over here. I'll need whatever you can get on this place, blueprints, security specs, the people…"

The brunette raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Ketchum, you know this isn't my first job, right? You chased me enough to know that much. I'll have a complete dossier of the place, the entry points, security weaknesses, you name it," she said, leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms with a smug smile.

Ash bowed his head. "Alright, fair enough. I recall how your jobs go. Do your thing and keep me posted," he replied.

Misty blinked. '_I wonder how those two know each other. He never mentioned her before,' _she thought to herself.

"Misty."

Shaking her head, she looked back at Ash, realizing he was now onto her part. Straightening up, she nodded.

"You're going to be on recon. Later, once Shinji gets the intel on their vehicles, I'll need you to make a perfect replica of one of theirs. Think you can do it?" he asked.

Misty nodded. "I can do it. If Paul gets me what I need, I can clone you a vehicle," she replied.

He nodded. "Alright then, you all have your jobs. We've got three weeks of prep, and only one night to get it all right. Everyone clear on what we need to do?" Ash asked, glancing around. Six nods greet him. "Good. Let's get to work."

* * *

Celadon City, Kanto

Dinner time had rolled around, and the team had all found their own machinations to keep them occupied. The team spent the last few hours unpacking their gear, with Max and Gary turning the overseer's office into a command and control center.

Paul had moved into a room next to their command center, traveling extremely light, only clothes and an assortment of exotic knives. He also helped Max and Gary set up a full security suite for the warehouse. Cameras, door sensors, the works.

Dawn had moved in a large amount of clothing, wigs, and makeup to one of the offices, turning the place into her own personal dressing room. It reminded Misty of living with her sisters. Thankfully, Dawn was far less overbearing than Lily, Daisy, and Violet.

May had a variety of tools and gadgets brought in, most of which were custom built by either her or her brother. How she had everything smuggled into Kanto was another story. She also had a staggering amount of snacks, from chips to cookies, popcorn to sodas. She had caught a few looks, but no one had questioned it.

Ash traveled light, only a simple duffle of clothing. He had gotten used to traveling as such from his days in Interpol. Chasing thieves and mobsters was normal for him. _Being_ the thief, that was taking some getting used to, but he could manage.

Misty traveled similarly, just a duffle of clothing and mechanic tools. While her sisters traveled with enough clothes to wear something different every day of a month, she was much more pragmatic.

When the crew had finally settled in, it was decided that Gary and Max would finish setting up their network. Seeing as Gary and Ash were fairly well known in Kanto, and especially to Team Rocket, Misty was sent out to get food, the crew settling on pizza. May decided to tag along to recon the local restaurants.

The pair were on their way back in Misty's truck just as the sun began to set.

"So, what do you do, anyways?" May asked, stack of pizzas on her lap, two boxes of which were reserved for the brunette and her appetite.

Misty shot an odd glance at the brunette as she drove towards the warehouse. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, all I know is you're a mechanic. And you have some talent in racing? Are you an underground street racer or something?" May asked brightly, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was asking Misty if she was a criminal.

'_Well, I am sort of the odd one out. I am working with a bunch of criminals to rob a casino, after all.'_ Misty sighed, thinking how to placate the woman. "I used to street race with some guys back in the day. My sisters all dated car guys, idiots who had more money than brains, but I was more interested in how the cars worked," she replied, curious on why she was talking about her life to a jewel thief. "I wasn't the type to wait on a boy like my sisters. Rather just go out and do it myself."

May smiled. "So, you beat on the boys growing up?" she asked, amused at the thought.

"Yeah. The look on their faces when they realized their best time was just beaten by their girlfriend's little sister was priceless," she continued, a small smile on her face. "How about you? You're not quite what I expected."

May gave the redhead a lopsided grin. "How's that?" she asked good naturedly.

Misty shrugged. "I guess I just figured a jewel thief to be… different, that's all," she confessed. She felt slightly embarrassed, having this conversation about assumptions with a known jewel thief.

"What, you were expecting an old guy with a mustache and a cane? Old car chases and black and white movies? Bow ties and tuxedos?" she asked, her grin still in place. "Nah. Max and I have been scheming together since we realized we could work together to raid the cookie jar. He skins his knee, I swipe a few cookies, when mom and dad are done kissing the boo boo and making it all better, he and I meet outside and settled up," she explained. "Granted, before that, we fought like Skitty and Poochyena," she added.

"You still do, from what I heard. Gary said you were two arguing where to park earlier," Misty noted as they pulled up to a traffic light, waiting for a green.

May rubbed her head sheepishly. "I… can't really argue that."

The light changed and Misty pushed the truck through the intersection, heading towards the outskirts of town where the warehouse was. Her new home for the next few weeks. "Hey May, can I ask you something?"

May grinned. "You just did," she joked.

Misty rolled her eyes. "How do you and Ash know each other?"

May shrugged as she adjusted her grip on the pizzas in her lap. "Ash chased me in Hoenn once or twice about three years ago. Think he had just joined Interpol, ended up as added security in Ever Grande for a big jewelry exhibit. One that Max and I happen to… 'visit'. Amazing ramen there, by the way," she added. "Anyways, he was on my trail for a few months. Skitty and Rattata for a while, there. He vanished about a year after that. Heard he went back to Kanto. Haven't seen him since. Before today, anyways."

'_Two years ago would have been just about the time of his mother's death,'_ Misty realized.

"How about you? How do you know him?"

Misty blinked as she realized May was talking to her again.

"Uh… He kinda pulled me over for speeding one day back when he was with the Kanto PD. Let me off with a warning. Couple days later, his car pulls into my garage for repairs. We tried dinner. About a year ago, things kinda started getting… tense. We, uh… we parted on bad terms. I certainly wasn't expecting him to walk into my garage and bring me on board for this," she explained as the pair pulled into the warehouse parking lot. Her expression didn't change.

May was silent for a few moments, as if debating if she wanted to really open this particular can of Dunsparce. She decided against it, opening the door and heading towards the warehouse entrance.

Misty was thankful. And aware that May, and likely the rest of the criminals were nothing like she expected.

* * *

Private Warehouse, Celadon City, Kanto

"Ahem."

Paul looked up from the blueprints he was studying and saw a certain blunette poking her head into his room. "You need something?" he asked.

"Just wanted to make sure you're going to be alright. I understand you haven't done much grifting work? Want a few tips?" she asked with a smile.

He rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the blueprints. "I'll be fine," he replied gruffly.

Dawn didn't take the hint. "You sure I can't help you? I can probably assist in a cover story, at least," she prodded.

Paul glared at her. "Look, I don't tell you how to act, little miss dress up. I can handle myself," he told her.

Dawn frowned. "Well, there's no need to be rude about it," she replied crossly.

"There's also no need for you to be here pestering me, you troublesome woman," he shot back. '_Note to self; tell Gary I'm doubling my rates if I have to work with her,'_ he thought to himself with annoyance.

Dawn put her hands on her hips, angry. "Troublesome? _I'm _the troublesome one?" she asked in disbelief.

Paul smirked. "Exactly, Troublesome. Now, are you done yet, or are you going to continue to pester me?" he asked, looking up from the blueprints he was studying.

She narrowed her eyes, glaring at the man. "Sorry for trying to be nice and help out! I mean, Arceus forbid you accept some outside help. And this _does_ happen to be my area of expertise," she argued.

"Troublesome, look, I know you're probably really used to pathetic sycophants bowing to your every whim, but I just don't care. Now, be useful or get out," Paul told her firmly.

Dawn glared at the purple-haired man before stomping off. Just as Paul let out a sigh of relief, her blue-haired head popped back into the doorway.

"And my name is Dawn! D-A-W-N!" she shouted, leaving the room again.

Paul smirked and shook his head. '_She's going to be a headache.'_

Dawn marched back into the main office, arms crossed and sat down in one of the chairs.

Gary shot her a grin. "Having fun with our hitter?" he asked playfully.

"He is infuriating!" she replied, glaring at the Kanto hacker. "Where did you _find_ him?"

Gary rolled his eyes. "He's the best. He's a loner, and has a reputation for a bad attitude, but he's exactly what we need for this job. He has his part to play, you have yours," he explained.

She was about to argue when she heard the loading doors open. Ash popped his head into the room shortly after that. "Food's here. Who wanted the pineapple and ham?" he asked with a look of distaste. Max raised his hand.

As Dawn got up to get food with the rest of the crew, her thoughts turned to a certain purple-haired annoyance. And she couldn't help but think of the differences between him and her auburn-haired admirer Kenny back in Sinnoh.

* * *

And there you have it. Thoughts? Ideas? Questions? Feel free to ask, either through review or PM. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, I thank you for reading, and hope you have a great night. God Bless.


	3. Chapter 3

Evening all. Sorry for the long delay between updates, my life has been crazy lately. Hopefully you guys enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

Chapter Three

Private Warehouse, Celadon City, Kanto

The fast paced clickity clack of keystrokes filled the office overlooking the warehouse as Gary Oak and Max Maple both worked on their firewall intrusion skills. With the grand opening of the casino two weeks away, the crew had been extremely busy with early preparations.

Paul, as part of his cover, had shown up at Team Rocket's HQ with a false name and history, offering to join up. After a grueling week of initiation, he finally managed to convince them of his loyalty. He began slowly feeding information back to the crew about their vehicles, numbers, equipment, and procedures. Ash and Gary had spent the better part of that morning going over it all and figuring out what exactly they could do with the information.

Dawn had also begun her con, dyeing her hair light brown and posing as an investor from Unova. Using her new alias as Alto Mare-born movie executive 'Isabella Lorenzo', she had managed to gain Giovanni's attention and get a room in the casino during the two weeks of finishing work under the guise of a movie executive, looking to use the casino for an upcoming movie shoot.

Along with her personal recommendation to avoid the veal and that the bathrooms in the hotel were amazing, she had forwarded them a detailed floor plan, Giovanni's daily routine, names of several of his top security people for Paul to get close to, and her keycard which Gary was able to duplicate easily.

Misty, with vehicle specs in hand, had been sent out with May to scout out the local car dealerships to find what they would need for their getaway vehicle. The two had sparked a small friendship, if slightly awkward on Misty's part at times.

Max and Gary had quickly evolved into the team's support center, with Gary handling most of the technical aspects and Max supplying the team's gear. The twenty-three year old Hoenn native had managed to rig together a series of stripped down smartphones into small earpieces, allowing for remote communication simply by talking. Gary had been busy setting up backdoor programs to be slipped into the casino's computer systems, assuming Dawn or Paul could get close enough to do so.

All the while, Ash continued planning out every aspect of the heist, in vivid detail.

"What about an earthquake?"

"Ash, do you have any idea how difficult it would be to stage an earthquake?"

Every last, insane, detail.

Gary sighed. "Ash, go take a nap. You're losing it. So far you've suggested we rob the casino under cover of a fire, flood, during the Pokémon Tournament on opening night, and now an earthquake. Go. To. Sleep," he told his friend, emphasising the final words.

Ash took one last look at the floor plans on their projector before nodding. "Alright. Wake me up if anything goes wrong," he informed Gary, to which Gary rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, you'll be the first to know. Now get out of here and let Max and I work, will ya?" he told his friend with a smirk.

Reluctantly, Ash finally left the command center, hobbling over towards his room for a nap.

"Was he always like this?" Max asked, spinning in his office chair to face Gary.

Gary gave the boy an amused grin. "What, a paranoid, obsessive control freak?" he asked before shaking his head. "Nah, he was pretty laid back, ridiculously so at times. But people can change," he continued, his grin fading slightly, staring off into space.

* * *

Honest Harry's Used Cars, Celadon City, Kanto

"Seriously, this is like the twentieth car dealership we've been to, Misty! Can we just pick something and go? I'm hungry…" May whined to her red headed friend as the pair walked through the car dealership.

"You're exaggerating," Misty replied as she began looking at one of the vans on the lot. "This is only our sixth stop. And we'll go to every one from here to Saffron City if need be until I find what I need," she explained.

Being the perfectionist she was, Misty refused to settle for 'close enough' when it came to her auto body work. Meticulous down to the smallest detail, she was determined to find the exact make, model, and color van that Team Rocket used in their organization.

Finally, after what seemed to May like eons when in actuality was only a few minutes, Misty finally smiled triumphantly. "This is it!" she informed her Hoenn friend.

May sighed in relief. "Finally," she replied with a smile.

Misty began checking the vehicle, kicking the tires and examining several of the bits commonly overlooked when buying a new vehicle, such as brake pads, condition of the frame and underside, among other things.

Crawling back out from under the van, she walked over to the front. "May, can you get this door opened?" Misty asked, indicating the driver's door.

May frowned in confusion, but shrugged, pulling a pair of bobby pins from her hair and set to work, popping the van's lock within seconds. "There ya go," she replied. She was surprised, though, when Misty didn't hop into the driver's seat, instead sticking her head under the dashboard.

"Yeah, figures they'd try that," she muttered before locking the door and hopping out. Satisfied that she could fix the van and use what was wrong with it to lower the price, she beckoned to May and began heading towards the main office, a slightly rundown-looking building, to talk the salesmen down.

Entering the small building, Misty and May immediately noticed a man with greasy hair and a suit that looked like it had been sewn together from a set of outdated living room drapes. The man smiled as soon as he caught sight of the pair.

"Well, well, welcome to Honest Harry's Used Cars! You won't find a better deal in Kanto! Now, how can old Harry help you lovely ladies?" he asked, causing both girls skin to crawl slightly as he walked over, sizing the pair up.

"We're interested in the dark grey van, end of the lot. Sticker said twelve thousand?" Misty inquired.

Harry's grin widened even further. "Yes indeed, little lady. You won't find a better deal in all of Kanto, or my name isn't Honest Harry!"

Misty snorted, glancing around the slightly grimy office with distaste. "I'll give you six, up front," she replied without missing a beat, much to the surprise of both May and Harry.

"N-now, listen here, lass," Harry began, "That's the best deal you'll find in Kanto. I've looked it over personally, and I give you my word that the van is in pristine condition. Twelve thousand is my final price," he defended himself.

May rolled her eyes. "Come on, Misty, let's just pay him and go. I'm hungry," she whined.

But Misty simply grinned, ignoring May. "If that's pristine, you're either a crook or an idiot," Misty told the man bluntly. "The frame's got erosion in several spots, the brake pads are almost gone, tires are almost bare, and you cracked the odometer," she listed, counting off on her fingers.

May had to stifle a laugh as 'Honest' Harry's face cycled through a series of emotions rapidly, before finally settling on disbelief. "You broke into the vehicle?" he asked.

Misty simply grinned wider. "Doesn't deny any of it, of course. I'm fairly certain that's a crime in Kanto. As for how I got in, you left the van unlock. I simply took the opportunity. Now, my offer stands. Six thousand, up front, for the van, and we all leave happy."

May began giggling behind her hand as she watched Harry's face turn various shades. '_She's good at this,'_ the brunette realized.

Harry, on the other hand, was rapidly backpedaling, his earlier smile long gone. "Listen, I'm sure we can come to some sort of an arrangement," he started, still attempting to negotiate.

Misty just nodded. "Agreed. Six thousand, in cash, and you won't have an Officer Jenny knocking on the door after we leave. Deal?"

May glanced between the two individuals, a grin on her face at how easily Misty managed to twist the greasy shyster around her little finger.

After a long sigh, Harry nodded. "Alright. We have a deal. Six thousand. I'll go get the paperwork drawn up," he replied sourly as he headed back to his desk.

Misty smiled to herself before glancing at May. "Alright, so I bought the van, you're buying lunch. Deal?" she asked.

May's grin widened as she nodded. "Deal."

* * *

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

"Yes, we'd love to use the main floors, at least three suites, probably several shots in the kitchen, and likely an elevator sequence at some point," Dawn explained to her gracious host, the well dressed Giovanni Sakaki.

The two of them sat in Giovanni's office on the twentieth floor of the nearly completed Celadon Game Corner Casino, which afforded Dawn a spectacular view of the surrounding city. They were currently in the process of discussing the specifics of whether Dawn's company could utilize sections of the casino for her upcoming film.

"Miss Lorenzo, I think what you're asking is doable, but I've some questions regarding your requests," Giovanni explained as he folded his hands on his expensive mahogany desk.

"Pokéstar Studios expected as much, Signore Sanaki, which is why I was sent," Dawn replied, utilizing her acting skills to pull off a spot on Alto Marian accent. "Ask away."

Giovanni smiled and inclined his head. "You haven't mentioned much about the movie itself, or your timetable. I assume you realize that it will be several months before access can be given, correct?"

Dawn smiled and nodded her head. "Of course. Pokéstar Studios understands that you and your casino will be very busy within the next few weeks, with your grand opening and all. We wouldn't dream of interrupting that, of course. As for the movie, we're hoping to begin filming of The Celadon Scandal in the coming fall, based around the lives of a ruggedly handsome, down on his luck professional gambler and the beautiful but lonely hotel heiress. And your casino is the best place in either Kanto or Johto for our shoot. All told, it should only require a week of shoot time."

Giovanni began tapping his index fingers to his chin, his hands still folded, contemplating. "I think we can come to an arrangement, though I'm beginning to wonder if Pokéstar Studios sent you thinking that I'd be more agreeable based on your place of origin," he observed with a smirk.

Dawn simply smiled. "Signore Sanaki, I can assure you that Pokéstar Studios would never stoop to such an underhanded tactic," she purred, even know they both knew he was right. Or at least, he was right about her cover story. "We are, however, very glad you've taken the time to hear our offer, and I personally thank you for the accommodations you've been gracious enough to allow my use of. I look forward to both the grand opening and the upcoming tournament."

"Well, the Celadon Game Corner Casino is happy that Pokéstar Studios has taken an interest in us for your movie. With that in mind, we can begin narrowing down an exact timetable and agree on a suitable amount," Giovanni replied. "Until then, please, enjoy the casino, and everything Celadon City has to offer."

Dawn rose from her seat, giving Giovanni the brightest smile she could muster. "I'll take you up on that, Signore Sanaki. Let me know when you wish to continue this conversation, and we'll discuss it. Perhaps over dinner? I hear the restaurants in Celadon are simply exquisite," she offered.

Giovanni nodded. "Indeed. We can discuss it at a later time, though. If you'll excuse me, I've still got a business to run."

* * *

Team Rocket Headquarters, Celadon City, Kanto

"Hey, you! Give me a hand with this!"

Paul grunted as he marched across the busy garage towards the van that his new 'comrades' were unloading, giving them a hand offloading it's current cargo. In this case, a shipment of firearms from Sinnoh.

As he began hauling the hard shell gun cases into the armory, Paul ran a hand through his hair. His newly dyed red hair. He had Gary update one of his old IDs, specifically that of Dylan Quinn, red-headed mercenary for hire from the Sinnoh region, for his use in infiltrating Team Rocket. It had taken him two weeks to pass through their initiation, which, compared to his past experiences as a hitter and retrieval specialist, was nothing.

"Come on, grunts, hustle! Giovanni wants those guns offloaded, cleaned, and ready to fire by tomorrow night!"

Paul rolled his eyes as he listened to the barking Team Rocket Admin, a man with a bad attitude and blue hair, which of course reminded him of a certain troublesome blunette. Pierce, his new boss.

"You, new guy! Quinn!"

Paul sighed and looked over to where Pierce was overseeing the unloading. "Yeah?" he replied.

"When we finish offloading, Giovanni wants you on the range. Gotta make sure you're up to scratch for the opening."

Paul stared at the blue-haired man for a moment before nodding. "Alright," he replied gruffly. Inside, however, he was smiling. '_Finally, something fun,'_ he thought to himself.

Twenty minutes later, Paul wandered into the soundproofed shooting range, noticing three Grunts and Pierce himself. Nodding to the Team Rocket Admin, Pierce waved him over to one of the open bays, a pair of safety glasses, pair of earmuffs, an assault rifle, and a handgun sitting there waiting for him. At the far end of the range were a series of targets, each in the shape of a standard human adult.

"In Team Rocket, we expect a certain level of marksmanship from our members. Do well enough and I'll see about having you posted for the casino opening," he informed Paul. "Fail to meet my expectations, however, and I'll see you offloading trucks for the next twenty years, understood?"

Paul simple smirked, running a hand through his hair. "Perfectly," he replied as he walked up to the bench, donning his ear and eye protection and picking up the handgun and magazine next to it. Checking them both briefly, he slapped the clip into the grip of the pistol, cycled the chamber, removed the safety and began taking aim. Doing the quick calculations in his head, he fired off three consecutive rounds down range, each hitting the target he was aiming for dead center.

Smirking, he dropped the magazine and cleared the chamber, setting the pistol down before turning his attention to the assault rifle. Having used similar in the past, he shouldered the weapon, picked up the magazine and inserted it into the receiver, pulled back the charging handle to load the first round, checked the safety and began taking aim once again, this time at a farther target.

'_One hundred yards, effective range of this rifle is three-eighty,'_ he thought to himself as he adjusted his aim to suit the closer range, noticing the iron sights had been sighted in for the weapon's maximum range. As he settled into a firing stance, he regulated his breathing, eventually exhaling and squeezing the trigger.

He smiled as the trio of rounds he fired off each struck his target perfectly. Nodding in satisfaction, he removed the magazine and emptied the chamber, setting them both back onto the bench. Turning back to Pierce as he removed his shooting glasses and earmuffs, he saw the Rocket Admin smiling as well.

"Impressive, Quinn. Alright, I'll put you on the roster for the opening. Now, let's get back to work, shall we?"

Paul nodded. '_Alright Ash, part one down. Let's hope this plan of yours works.'_

* * *

Private Warehouse, Celadon City, Kanto

"Alright, Misty's working on the van, Dawn's getting more information from dear old Giovanni, May's got her intrusion and exfiltration all planned out, Max is finishing the last few touches on your asinine Plan C, and I've been in touch with six separate hackers putting this intrusion software together. Trust me, Ash, this will work."

'_I love Ash like a brother, but there are some days I wish I was still a black hat,'_ Gary thought to himself as he rubbed his temples. Ash had been micromanaging the entire job for weeks now, and it was beginning to wear on Gary's nerves.

"I just hate leaving anything to chance, you know?" Ash asked as he looked over Paul's most recent report. The pair were the only ones left in the overseer's office at the moment, with Gary sitting at his desk and Ash lounging on the couch they had brought in. The rest of the crew were all either finishing up their work or getting ready for bed.

"Ash, this is bordering on obsessive. How you and Looker managed to get anything done, I'll never know," Gary replied sullenly as he continued working on his computer.

Ash simply nodded. "Usually with a lot of red tape and a fair amount of rule bending. We got good at circumventing the bureaucracy involved in the job, but we had to be really careful about it. Probably the cause of my rampant paranoia and tendency towards micromanagement," he explained as he continued looking through the report.

Eventually the clickity-clack of Gary's computer wound down as the spiky-haired brunet got up from his computer and headed for the door, pausing to look back at Ash. "Don't spend all night in here, alright?"

Shooting Gary a smirk, Ash nodded. "I'll get some sleep, don't worry," he assured his friend as the brunet made his way to his room. Ash, however, stayed for a few minutes longer, going over every single detail of the report, over and over.

"Lookin' a little tired there, Ketchum."

Snapping out his trance, he rubbed his eyes and glanced to the doorway to the office. He was greeted by the smiling face of May. Without waiting for a reply, she wandered into the room and flopped onto the couch next to him, a content smile on her lips.

"What are you still doing up?" Ash asked curiously as he set the report aside, shaking his head a bit to drive sleep away for a time.

May shrugged. "Misty needed a hand on the van's brakes. When I got back to the room, Max was asleep, so I figured I'd go poke about for a bit," she explained.

Ash nodded a bit. "I imagine your job makes you keep odd hours," he observed. '_Kind of odd, just being able to sit down and talk with her after all the chasing I did back in Hoenn,'_ he mused to himself as she nodded.

"Yeah, I've always been a Noctowl when it came to schedules. Max is the early riser of us. Me? I'd rather crash at three or four and sleep till noon," she told him as she began playing with her hair.

"I used to keep rather odd hours back in Interpol, but my schedule got really screwed up about two years ago," he told her.

May frowned slightly. '_That was about the time he stopped chasing me,_' the girl thought to herself. She recalled her earlier conversation with Misty and began getting curious. "Hey, Ash? Can I ask you something? If you don't want to answer, I'll understand."

He frowned for a moment. "Can't promise an answer, but I'll do what I can," he replied cautiously.

May was quiet as she thought how to word her question. "What happened two years ago?"

Ash closed his eyes, a look of sorrow coming over his face. May was about to tell him to forget it when he answered. "Team Rocket happened," he started. "They killed my mother and Gary's grandfather in a driveby shooting in Viridian City. Giovanni's son, Silver, was our main suspect, and I left Hoenn to track him down. Eventually did, too. But the courts had other ideas," he explained bitterly.

"I'm sorry," May offered. "I didn't know it was a touchy subject," she explained, but Ash waved it away.

"It's in the past. Well, technically the present, considering our goal," he explained, throwing a small grin back onto his face. "Soon, Team Rocket will be a giant smoking hole in the ground."

"What'll you do then? After your crusade is finished, I mean," May asked, her inquisitive personality getting the better of her.

Ash shrugged, running a hand through his messy black hair. "Hadn't given it much thought, honestly. Don't think I could go back to Interpol after everything, especially seeing as I'm running a criminal crew to take down one of the most powerful men in the Kanto-Johto area. I don't know, maybe I'll become a private investigator or something," he mused.

May smiled, beginning to feel a bit sleepy. "You know, Max and I could always use another set of hands on our heists, and you are good in a pinch," she offered. "I don't expect you to actually take me up on the offer, but I figured I may as well offer, at least."

Ash's mouth twitched into something of a smile. "Let's get through the next week, first, then we can focus on the 'what comes after', eh? Still, I appreciate the offer," he told the girl.

* * *

Misty was heading to her room with May when she saw Gary exit the main office, heading towards his own room. When he caught sight of Misty, he smiled and began heading over towards her, while May went to her own room, only to exit shortly thereafter, heading off.

"Evening Red. How's the van coming?" he asked as he stopped by her, leaning against the doorjamb to his room, watching May head off towards where he left Ash. Misty noticed he was definitely looking tired.

She shrugged. "It's coming," she told him. "May gave me a hand with the brakes, and I've got to get some decent tires for it tomorrow, but overall, we should be in business in the next few days," she explained, crossing her arms.

Gary nodded, his head looking heavy. "Ash'll be happy, at least. Boy needs to learn to take a break. At this rate, he's going to have sixty contingency plans by the time the Opening rolls around."

Misty just nodded, a smirk coming to her face. "That's Ash. A plan for everything. I'm surprised he hasn't gone gray yet from all the thinking and worrying he does," she replied, amused.

Gary smirked. "I'll check when we get through this. Assuming we actually _do_ get through this," he added. "I'm still amazed you're actually here in the middle of all this."

"Probably the money," she admitted. "Partly because… Well, because even though things between us ended badly, I still want Ash to enjoy his life. I can't really explain it," she admitted, scratching the back of her head.

Gary nodded in understanding. "He's a great guy, but you two just didn't fit, I get it. He was an authority figure, you're more of a rebel. Only natural you two would clash," he assured her.

"Then how do you two get along so well?" she asked with a smirk.

Gary shrugged. "We grew up together, and we're used to it. Besides, I'm a lot more laid back than he is, which means I get along pretty well with everybody outside of jobs. When I'm running a crew, though, I'm a bit more in control, but Ashy-boy's got the 'Control Freak' position sown up entirely."

Misty chuckled lightly. "Yeah, a lot of people asked us how we tolerated each other. Never gave it much thought, honestly, though he was the first guy who actually stuck it out with me."

Gary frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Misty smirked. "I'm a car girl, remember? Most guys, when they find that out, either treat me like I'm an idiot, or decide to ask me out, only to bail when they discovered my temper. Ash was the first one who didn't care, but he was married to his job, you know?" she explained. '_Why am I even having this conversation with Gary, anyways?'_ she wondered to herself.

Gary simply grinned. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Surprised you haven't killed Ash yet, honestly. But we can analyse that more some other time, perhaps over dinner?" he asked slyly.

Misty rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, Oak," she replied as she set off towards her room.

Leaving the brunet, she passed by the main office and threw a glance in out of curiosity. She saw Ash nodding off while reading a report. She was about to tell him to go to sleep when she noticed May sitting next to him, asleep against the couch arm.

She stood at the door for a moment before a smile crept onto her face. Deciding not to interrupt the pair, she made her way to her own room. And she was surprised when it wasn't images of the pair that stayed in her head, but Gary's words instead.

* * *

Sorry if it was a little short, I've been working in my free time and wanted to get this posted as soon as possible. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it, Feedback and reviews encouraged, and I hope to have another chapter up soon, likely after I update Guardians of Rota. Anyways, thanks for reading and God Bless!


	4. Chapter 4

Evening all. Sorry about the wait. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Four

Private Warehouse, Celadon City, Kanto

"Alright, all the pieces are almost in place," Ash told the crew, who all had gathered together for the first time in a week. Around the room sat Gary and Max at their computers, Dawn was currently sitting by the door, Misty was lying on the couch, Paul was leaning against the wall with his arms folded, and May was watching from the arm of Misty's couch. Ash himself was in the front of the room near their projector setup.

"Shinji, you got the explosives for Plan C?" he asked.

The gruff man nodded. "Buddy in Vermillion mailed 'em out a couple days ago, should arrive today or tomorrow," he explained.

Gary smiled. "Gotta love the postal service here in Kanto. Be it bills, love letters, or military-grade Semtex plastic explosives, the mail always come through."

"Alright, May, I assume you've got everything for the heist planned?" Ash asked, turning his attention to the brunette.

May grinned. "You dare doubt me?" she retorted playfully before straightening up, crossing her arms. "Everything's set. If everything goes according to plan, we'll be in and out in under twenty minutes."

"Good. Misty, the van ready to go?" Ash asked, turning his attention to his ex-girlfriend.

She nodded from her couch. "Replicated to the best of my ability, plus a few of my own little tweaks," she replied. "Come opening night, she'll pass for the real thing."

"Gary, you remember your part of the plan, right?" he then asked.

Gary sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I've got it all," he replied, glancing at the ceiling in boredom.

Ash then nodded, a small smile finding its way onto his face. "Good. Three days from now is the opening. If everything goes according to plan, we'll all be free and clear by the end of the week."

All of them nodded in agreement, various levels of excitement on their faces. Each of them knew that this job could likely set them for years, but if things didn't go according to plan, there was no telling how bad things could get.

"Take it easy for today, sort any unfinished business or relax, just remember if you're leaving the warehouse, travel in pairs and be careful about where you go and who you talk to," Ash told them finally.

After receiving a series of nods, the crew all set out to occupy themselves with their own devices.

Misty made her way to the warehouse floor to work on her truck, deciding to keep herself occupied with something productive. She found working on her truck relaxing in some strange way.

Gary was speaking with a few contacts about his regular job as a security consultant, simply happy for a change of pace. Ash micromanaging everything about this was getting to him in the final days.

Max and May found themselves in what had become the crew's kitchen area, with the genius sitting at their table working on some gadgets for the upcoming heist, while May decided to see about making something to sate her ravenous appetite.

Dawn had decided on heading out to retrieve some last minute supplies, and Paul had been chosen to accompany her given his background, much to the normally purple-haired man's annoyance.

Ash ended up wandering the warehouse, thinking back on the past two and a half weeks of prep. He was proud of the work his crew had accomplished, which surprised him.

'_Proud of a group of criminals. That's gonna take some getting used to,'_ he thought to himself. But as he made his way through the warehouse, he came to a realization; he was a criminal now. After everything he'd done in his life to put criminals behind bars, he was now a part of that group. But the part that scared him slightly was that he was okay with it.

As he came to terms with his new allegiance, he became aware of two other things; first, his nose detected something that smelled delicious, and second, he forgot to eat today. Deciding to remedy his error and sate his curiosity at the same time, he began heading towards the kitchen area.

Upon entering, he saw May hard at work constructing some sort of culinary creation, while Max tinkered at the table on what appeared to be a small remote of some sort. Looking up, he was the first to notice the raven-haired mastermind.

"Hey Ash," he greeted, causing May to turn and smile at Ash.

"Hey boss," she seconded, with a lopsided grin. "Hungry?" she asked.

Ash opened his mouth to answer, only to have his stomach answer for him with a resounding gurgle. Smiling sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head. "I think that answers that," he replied as he sat at Max's table.

Chuckling, May grabbed a third bowl before returning to whatever it was she was making. "So, everything set for opening night?" she asked.

Ash nodded as he attempted to figure out what Max was currently building. "Aye. Moles are in position, we're ready to begin the show for opening night. You two have any questions about the plan?"

Max ponders for a bit as he worked on his device with a small screwdriver. "I think I'm clear on it all. May?" he asks, shooting a glance to his sister.

She shrugs as she begins spooning what appeared to be ramen into the bowls. "Just wondering where we plan to eat once we rip off the biggest Rocket kingpin in Kanto," she replies with a grin, bringing a pair of bowls over to the boys.

Max rolls his eyes as he continues working on his project. "Typical May. Always thinking with your stomach."

Ash chuckles. "There's nothing wrong with planning ahead for your next meal," he adds, nodding to the brunette in thanks for the ramen.

Max just shakes his head. "You two are a matched set," he mumbles.

Ash smirks at the boy as he grabs a spoonful of broth and noodles, enjoying May's expert cooking. "Mmm…" he sighed contently.

The brunette, to her credit, enjoyed cooking for others nearly as much as she enjoyed eating the products of her hard work. She smiled as she settled in at the kitchen, watching the two enjoy their meals.

"So Ash, what do you plan to do after the heist?" Mas asked, taking a spoonful of ramen while adjusting the screws on his device.

Ash shrugged as he continued eating away at his ramen. "Not sure yet. Honestly, I may just stay on for the food," he replied with a smirk. "Seriously, though, I'm more focused on making sure everything goes according to plan. I'll worry about what I'm doing after once we're free and clear."

Max raised an eyebrow at him. "You're planning to knock over a massive casino, worth millions, and you have no plans for the money?" he asked, not quite believing it.

"Rocket has to go down. Then I can worry about spending money," he replied, dropping his gaze to his meal.

May frowned. '_He needs a focus or he's going to destroy himself,' _ she thought to herself. "Well, the offer stands. Between your brain and Max's gadgetry, we'd make a fortune," she encouraged him with a smile.

Ash shook his head. "As much as I'd love to stay on for the food… It's my job to help people. That's why I joined the police to begin with," he explained.

"I never said taking candy and paychecks from children and widows," she explained with a knowing look. "But Hoenn's filled with plenty of rich guys who prey on the helpless."

At Ash's odd look, Max picked up where his sister left off.

"You remember those jewels we swiped in Ever Grande? They belonged to a man named Maxie. A Volcanologist who had a fortune in rare gems and an ego the size of Kanto. Little known fact, he stole from three different charity orginizations to fund those gems," he said, crossing his arms.

May nodded. "So, we stole them back, fenced them on the black market for extra price, paid all the groups back with interest, and had a bit of funding left over to actually hide from you and Interpol until we picked out our latest mark," she explained.

Max smiled, taking a spoonful of ramen. "Unlike the Rose, we don't take from those who can't afford it."

Ash frowned. "You're basically saying you two rob the rich and give to the poor?" he asked.

May grinned. "Basically. We help people, too. Just, in our own way."

Ash nodded absently, staring into his broth. '_I guess things aren't as black and white as they appear.'_

* * *

Celadon Department Store, Celadon City, Kanto

"I still can't believe you're the only one who has business outside the warehouse," Dawn muttered as she got out of her rental car.

Paul grunted as he got out of the passenger seat. "Someone has to keep you from blowing this, Troublesome," he shot back as he pulled his knit cap down around his head.

Dawn simply rolled her eyes. "Will you just lighten up for once? You're outside, it's sunny, and everything is going according to plan. In a couple of days, you'll be on your way back to Sinnoh to crawl back into whatever dark little hole you live in," she told him as she made her way towards the department store Celadon City was famous for.

"What do you even need here, Troublesome? What could you possibly need from a department store to finish up the project?" Paul asked as he followed her through the various stores.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You know, some problems can't be solved by punching them," she replied, annoyed at having her every decision questioned by some lowly thug. '_Where does he get off, anyways?'_

"Dawn? Is that you?"

Dawn blinked in confusion, glancing around worriedly. Instantly, Paul vanished from her side, taking a position an aisle away, keeping watch. Behind her, she saw a head of auburn hair making it's way towards her with a large grin attached.

"Oh… Hey… Kenny," Dawn responded, obviously caught off guard.

The movie star brushed her light brown hair from her bewildered face as she regarded her longtime friend and admirer. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Kenny came up with a smile and a shrug. "My company has me here for an audit with Celadon Financial. Nothing major, just a formality, really. I figured you'd show up at the largest shopping hub in Celadon given enough time. The hair color threw me off."

Dawn sputtered for a moment, causing Kenny to smirk.

"Is it that surprising to see me?" he asked.

"I, uh, wasn't expecting to see you here," she stuttered.

"How's the movie coming? Or did shooting finally finish?" he asked, glancing around the section of store.

She shook her head. "We've still got a couple of scenes to finish up before I can head home. This is the first break I've got in weeks," she quickly covered. '_Lying is getting easier. That's not exactly a comforting thing…'_

"Wow. Must be hard, being in a different country, working long hours. Listen, I know a little restaurant here in Celadon that has a passable Sinnish pizza," he offered.

She opened her mouth to answer when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Frowning, she took it out and unlocked it, finding a text. '_Ditch the kid, Rocket grunts just walked in.'_

"Uh, listen, Kenny, that's the studio. Apparently they want to redo a scene before the sun sets. I'm really sorry," she apologized, a sympathetic smile on her face.

Kenny sighed, once again shot down. "Of course," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets, dejectedly. "Well, give me a call when you finish filming. Maybe we can do something before we both head home."

Dawn nodded absently. "Maybe. For now, though, I've got to get back to the set. Talk to you later?" she asked as she shoved her phone back into her pocket, heading towards where she last spotted Paul. When she was far enough away, the sullen Hitter fell into step, his hood pulled down to prevent him from being identified.

"We need to get back," he said simply as they pair left the department store, quickly making their way back to the car.

Dawn sighed as they got there, hopping in. "So much for shopping," she whines.

Paul shook his head as he sat in the passenger seat, buckling his seatbelt. "You're going to get somebody hurt, Troublesome," he said simply.

Dawn scoffed as she buckled herself up, throwing the car into drive. "I've been doing this for years, Shinji. I know what I'm doing, I won't blow the job," she told him defensively. "And my name is Dawn."

"Not what I was referring to." When she threw an odd look at him, he continued. "You've got that idiot so wrapped around your finger and you don't even realize it. He probably doesn't even know what you do, does he?" he asked, attention fixed on the road.

Dawn's jaw dropped. "My relationship with Kenny is in no way, shape, or form your business! Why do you even care!? Kenny's my friend, not yours. Why, I'd be surprised if you even _had_ friends!"

Paul was silent for a moment as the car came to a stop at a red light. When he finally took a breath to speak again, his view was straight ahead. "Because people like that, civilians, they don't understand what we do. He thinks you're just an actress. What do you think he's going to do when he learns what you do for a living?"

"He's not going to find out!" she complained, huffing as she continued driving towards the warehouse.

"And if you're wrong? One of these days, you're going to slip up. He's going to find out. One way or another, and when he does, how do you think he'll react? That everything you are and do, it's all one giant lie."

Dawn chewed the inside of her cheek, annoyed that this common thug was trying to tell her how to live her life. "Seriously, what is your problem!? It's not like this concerns you in any way!"

Paul smirked. "I saw the way he looked at you. He's not going to stop. And when he learns what you do, you really think things will be able to stay the same?"

"You still haven't answered _why_ you're so bloody focused on this," she retorted as she pulled into the warehouse parking lot.

Paul bowed his head for a moment, eyes closed. "Because I've seen the aftermath. It's going to change you both. Just be ready," he offered as he unbuckled his seatbelt and left the car, heading towards the warehouse.

Leaving a troubled Dawn to grapple with her own new doubts.

* * *

Private Warehouse, Celadon City, Kanto

Gary stretched, pulling himself out of his office chair, tired of dealing with the financial aspect of his business. '_I will be so happy when we get out of here…'_

Having lived in a warehouse for nearly a month and having to deal with Ash's insane planning sessions had finally worn off the shine of knocking over the Game Corner. Combine that with the fact that his entire business had been put on hold for the raven-haired ex-cop's vendetta, and Gary was counting the hours to kickoff time.

'_It's going to be the show of the century,'_ he thought to himself with a smug smirk. '_Can't wait to see the look on his face.'_

Deciding to go for a walk, Gary started making his way towards the warehouse floor, where he could hear what sounded like classic rock music playing. A short trip later, and he found the common sight of Misty overlooking the engine on her pickup truck.

"You know what the meaning of insanity is?" he asked her with a smirk as he came to watch over her shoulder, much to the redhead's annoyance.

"You?" she retorted with a huff before returning her attention to her engine.

"Not quite, Red. It's doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome. Kinda like you constantly fiddling with that engine every free moment you get," he says, leaning against the truck.

Misty sighs, dropping her wrench and glaring at the brunet. "Could you kindly go back to your little computer and let me get back to my truck?" she asked.

Gary smirked. "But tormenting you is so much fun!" he says with a chuckle.

Misty resisted the urge to pick up her wrench and throw it at Gary, barely. "Don't you need to work on your part of the plan?" she complained, knowing full well he probably already handled it, knowing his perfectionism.

Gary shrugs, smirking. "Don't worry, all my plans are already in play," he replied cryptically before poking at the engine.

Misty scoffed and slapped his hand. "Oi, I don't go poking around your computer, leave my engine alone."

Gary hissed slightly, rubbing his knuckles. "Sheesh, Mist, you didn't have to be so paranoid. I'm not going to break it," he told her, frowning.

Keeping her glare for a moment, she picked up her wrench and continued her tinkering. "Big baby," she mumbled under her breath.

Much to her annoyance, however, Gary's signature smirk was back nearly instantly. "So, any plans for your take of the cash?"

Misty shook her head. "Store it for a while. Unlike you and the rest, I can't really just show up with a new sports car and a mansion. I come from a middle-class family, Gary, not the prestigious Oak family. If I show up with a few hundred thousand dollars, people will get suspicious."

Gary chuckles, shrugging. "Not necessarily." At her raised eyebrow, he continued. "Never told anyone why you left Cerulean, right?"

Misty frowned, shaking her head. "No, why?"

"Could always say you spent the last month dealing with a sick, rich relative. When he passed, he left it to you, because, let's face it, your sisters wouldn't be caught dead helping out a sick relative. Hell, I bet they don't even know half their relatives, right?"

Misty sighed, glancing at him. "I don't know which is sadder, the fact that you're right about them, or the fact that I'm actually considering this."

Gary spread his hands, shrugging. "What's to say you can't have a taste of the good life? You work hard, just like the rest of us."

'_Like the rest of us'_, she turned over and over in her head. '_Like a thief. A criminal.'_ As she frowned, leaning against the front of her pickup, Gary poked her lightly on the shoulder.

"You alright, Red?" he asked, slightly worried.

Misty blinked, shaking her head. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry, yeah… Just thinking," she replied.

Gary nodded after a while. "Give it some thought. Anyways, I've got to go get ready. Take it easy, eh?"

She nodded absently, having become lost in her thoughts and her engine.

* * *

Private Warehouse, Celadon City, Kanto

Ash frowned as he paced through the warehouse.

"Anyone seen Gary?" he asked as he saw the siblings heading down the hall. Tomorrow night was the Grand Opening, and Gary was nowhere to be found.

Max frowned. "Last I saw, he went to an electronics shop in town for some last bits. That was yesterday," he explained, as he wiped off his glasses.

May frowned in thought. "Is everything alright?"

Ash sighed, shaking his head. "No. No one's seen him since he left. I'm getting worried about him…"

* * *

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

"Maybe he got lost?" asked the boy with glasses.

"It's Gary, he's clueless, but he knows his way around Celadon," replied the man with messy raven hair. From the laptop screen, the pair watched the live video feed from a warehouse on the edge of town.

On the twentieth floor of the Celadon Game Corner Casino, Giovanni sat in his office meeting with the young hacker.

"Alright, mister Oak, I'm impressed," he told him.

Gary smirked. "Just like I said. He's gone crazy. Weeks ago, I promised you the evidence you needed, and I always complete my contracts," he replied, leaning back in his chair.

"Indeed. This should be plenty of material to take to the police. But, as you mentioned, conspiracy is good. Catching them in the act, so much better," Giovanni explained with a smirk.

Gary nodded, his smirk turning to a grin. "I can see the headlines now; 'Kanto cop caught red handed robbing Rocket'. It'd bring into question every case he's worked, and you won't have to deal with him anymore. Plus, the prices on the rest of his crew? You've got yourself a small fortune for his trouble.

Giovanni nodded. "And, as per our agreement, Oak Ranch becomes a protectorate of Team Rocket, and your payment will clear as soon as they're in custody," he replied, standing up from his chair and extending his hand. "A pleasure working with you, mister Oak. I look forward to tomorrow evening."

Gary chuckled, shaking the hand firmly. "Me too, Sakaki. Me too…"


	5. Chapter 5

And done! I'm really sorry it took this long to finish this story, unfortunately my life has been exceedingly hectic. Still, I'm fairly happy with how the story went and hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter Five

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

The sound of slot machines, roulette wheels, cards, and chips filled the massive first floor of the casino. The sound of money. Gary smiled at the sound. '_All this money, right at my fingertips. Home stretch, Oak,'_ he thought to himself.

"I'll never get tired of that sound."

Turning, Gary saw the red-headed Silver Sakaki. Walking up, the younger Sakaki gave the Oak a rough smile, his suit clean and pressed for the opening night.

Gary offered him a nod. "Silver," he replied neutrally.

"Ketchum still think we're holding you against your will?" the brash young man asked, sliding right up next to the hacker.

Gary smirked. "Of course. He's also convinced I won't break about his 'brilliant' master plan."

Silver nodded. "That's what happens when you let personal feelings get in the way of business."

"Pretty much," Gary replied. '_Figures, someone from one of the largest crime families in Kanto thinks business and personal feelings should be separate,'_ he thought to himself.

"Let's just hope he brings the crew. I can't wait to see him being led away in cuffs. 'Kanto cop breaks the very laws he swore to uphold'. I think I'll have the headline mounted on my wall."

* * *

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

Ash checked his watch for the sixth time that evening. '_This is it. A month of planning, all the savings I had left, some of the best criminal minds from multiple regions. It has to work. It has to…'_

Standing on the casino floor in his best dress jacket, pants, and shirt, he kept watch, counting down the seconds of his plan.

''_Twelve seconds from now, eight o'six on the dot,'_ he thought to himself, pulling his hat down. His face was already well known inside the Team Rocket ranks, which is exactly what he was counting on. And when the final second ticked down, he pulled his hat off with a smirk. Within seconds, a pair of strong Rocket grunts grabbed his arms, lifting him off the ground.

"Giovanni would like to see you," one of them told Ash quietly.

And as the two grunts hauled Ash off towards the elevator, the raven-haired ex-cop silently hoped his plan would work, despite the changes.

* * *

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

"Mister Ketchum. Lovely of you to attend the grand opening. My apologies about the manner in which you've been brought here, but you have to understand how much havoc you have a tendency to wreak upon my business."

Ash grunted, getting shoved forcefully into a chair in Giovanni's office by the pair of grunt. Rubbing his arms, Ketchum glared at the elder Team Rocket leader. "How could I say no with such a wonderful welcoming committee?" he asked rhetorically.

Giovanni simply smirked, folding his hands on the desk. "Either way, so glad you could make it. My associates are coming to join us shortly. I assume the rest of your merry little band of thieves are breaking in as we speak?"

Ash's face turned to one of shock. "What?"

"You think I didn't know all about your little plan? Saw the warehouse on the outskirts of town rented using your alias? Rocket's been onto you since you left Cerulean City."

Giovanni's smirk grew to a smile as the door behind Ash opened up. Two more grunts walked in, followed shortly by SIlver and Gary. Ash, however, grew pale.

"Gary… I knew they grabbed you," the raven-haired man stated, letting out a sigh, causing Silver to chuckle.

"Always were one step behind, Ketchum," he replied.

"I caught you, didn't I?" Ash retorted.

Silver simply chuckled. "Gary found me. The only reason you caught me was because of him. And now, the only thing you've caught is a one way trip to Kanto Correctional," he boasted.

Ash blinked, frowning as he tried to understand what Silver meant. Then his gaze turned to Gary, and finally it clicked. "You sold me out!" Ash shouted, trying to rise from his chair, only to be shoved back down by the grunts.

Gary simply smirked, pulling his laptop out of his bag. "Hours of video from the warehouse. You said it yourself, Ash, back in the garage." He began counting off on his fingers. "Conspiracy to commit grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand theft, crossing one of the largest crime families in Kanto, conspiracy to hack a private server, conspiracy to run a confidence game, possibly jaywalking."

"You've crossed quite a line, ex-Officer Ketchum," Giovanni explained. "I must say, I'm surprised you'd stoop to theft after such a prestigious career with law enforcement. And, thanks to young Oak here, I've more than enough proof to put you and your little crew away for years, just like you tried to do with my son."

"The only thing you have coming is a kidnapping charge," Ash claimed with a smirk.

"If that were true, Ketchum, you'd have set it up beforehand," Giovanni continued. "And now, we wait for my people to capture your crew, detain them, then deliver them to the Kanto PD on a gold-plated platter."

Ash growled, glaring at the Rockets and his former best friend.

* * *

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

"Max, how much time do we have?" the brunette asked. May stood by the door of her hotel room, awaiting the go to begin her part of the plan.

"A little over a minute. Now, one more time, just to confirm?" the spectacled young man replied over her headset.

May took a breath, exhaling deeply as she ran through the plan again. "Ash should be distracting Giovanni as we speak. Once he's good and distracted, I exit my room, head to the elevator, pop the top, repel down to the vault, drop off Shinji's package, then we go to phase two, right?"

"Exactly," he replied. "You ready? You've got thirty seconds."

"Yup, ready as I'll ever be. You sure this harness will work? And for that matter, the headset?" she asked, calming her nerves before the storm.

"May, you tried the harness yourself back in Hoenn. It's fine. And the headset works off the hotel's wifi network. Five, four, three, two one…"

At the end of her brother's count, May opened the door, quickly checking the hallways. Seeing it was clear, she quickly made her way to the elevator, jabbing the close door and ground floor buttons.

"Alright, I made the elevator," she reported, pulling off her coat and dropping her purse to the floor, pulling a small spool of carbon fiber cable from it and climbing her way to the hatch leading to the top of the elevator.

"Alright, get on top, set the spool on the side. It'll adhere to the elevator. Then just clip in and drop, just like in Hoenn," her brother instructed over her headset, his latest invention.

Following his orders to the letter, she set up the spool, tossing it down off the side as the elevator made it's way to the ground floor. Peering down into the darkness of the elevator shaft, she saw a crack of light draining from the basement level. Grinning, May hooked her harness to the cable, double checking it was secure before allowing herself to fall forward off the elevator, only the sound of the rig working as she fell into the darkness.

As her descent slowed, she righted herself, unclipping her harness and dropping to the bottom of the elevator shaft, landing in a crouch. Standing a few feet above the floor was the beginning of the vault level doors.

"Alright, I'm down," she whispered into her headset as she quietly crept to the slit bleeding pale light into the darkness of the elevator shaft.

"Got it. Get the elevator doors open and we're in business," came a slightly static-filled reply, no doubt from the metal and concrete between her and her brother.

Pulling a pair of small metal shims, she wedged them into the slit of the elevator doors, prying them open. Squinting in the light draining into the elevator shaft, she smirked, pulling herself up into the hallway.

"Alright, I'm in," she told her brother. "Long hallway, about twenty feet. Bright lights. Just like the plans said. I see the vault door at the end."

"Copy that. Cameras are set. You ready?"

May grinned as she made her way to the door. "Always."

* * *

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

Ash sat in the office of Giovanni, glaring at the various Rockets surrounding him, preventing him from leaving, or even contacting his team. "You won't get away with this, Gary."

Gary just smirked, shaking his head. "Ashy-Boy, you fail to see the brilliance of this whole plan. The warehouse is in your name. All the hours and hours of your planning sessions. It all points to you, Ketchum. I've put together a team of some of the best criminals from three different regions. The bounty for you and the crew? Enough to set a man up for life."

"By selling us out?!" Ash shouted, clenching his fists.

"Sell out a few criminals for enough money to go legit for life? It's that simple, Ashy-Boy," he replied, shrugging. "It's just good business."

Ash glared at Gary with the intensity to melt through iron plating, the brunet smirking smugly from behind his laptop, sitting in one of the chairs in Giovanni's office. "And what about Misty? There was no reason to bring her into this," he continued.

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong. The only reason she was brought in was to keep you off balance," he retorted. "And look how well that worked out. You never saw this coming, did- Oh, ho!" he said, cutting himself off. "Main event just kicked off, Giovanni," he said, turning his laptop to show the Rocket boss.

And Ash's face fell as he saw May creeping her way towards the vault door. "Get out of there, May," he whispered, hoping the brunette would be okay.

"Silver, take a team down and detain her. Gary, make a copy of the security recording. Then call the police, would you?" Giovanni asked with a smile.

* * *

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

"May, you've got thirty seconds. I've got to move," Max said in her ear.

"Got it, Max. Good luck," she replied, pulling the explosives Paul had shipped in from her bag and began setting them up on the vault door. '_Six pounds of military-grade Semtex should be more than plenty to blow this vault. Although I've always hated explosives…'_ she thought to herself.

After several seconds of prep time, she finally stepped back, giving it a nod as she pulled out her detonator. However, before she could blow the vault, she heard the elevator doors open and footsteps rapidly approaching.

"Hands up and no sudden moves."

Grimacing, she slowly turned around, her hands held up. Coming face to face with a red-headed youth and a quartet of Rocket grunts in their masks and hats, two male, two female, each holding firearms. Silver smiled.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced. Hello Maple. Silver Sakaki. I think we need to have a little talk."

* * *

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

"Alright, cops are on their way and the footage has been transferred to your desktop," Gary replied. "The rest of the footage is on the main servers, uploaded as agreed."

Ash growled, pushing against the two Rockets holding him down in the chair. "You make me sick, Gary," he spat.

Giovanni simply chuckled. "Mister Ketchum. I'd say it's been a pleasure, but I so dislike lying."

Shortly following, the door opened, admitting Silver and two of the Rocket grunts from earlier. "Maple's been secured. Two of our people are taking her to lockup. We've disabled the explosives, and the police can dispose of it when they arrive," he reported.

Giovanni grinned. "Ah, good. You two, take him down to lockup," he ordered the two grunts flanking Silver.

With a pair of nods, they moved to grab Ash's arms as the two other grunts took their places on opposite sides of the office. Lifting him up, Ash struggled against the restraining holds they had on him.

"You won't get away with this, Giovanni!" he shouted.

Laughing, Gary stood and walked to his friend. "Ashy-Boy, you're an analog player in a digital world. I was the one who solved most of your cases. You were just a tool thinking he could play mastermind," he taunted, getting right up in the raven-haired man's face.

Ash gritted his teeth, before kicking out at Gary's shin. As the brunet yelped, reaching down to clutch his shin, Ketchum rammed his head into Gary's nose before the grunts finally restrained him, each drawing their guns and putting them to Ash's head.

"That's enough of that," a gruff voice told him, slamming the pistol handle into the man's head, stunning him before dragging him to the door and inevitable lockup, the Casino's small lockable cell for trouble makers.

Gary clutched at his nose, groaning as blood stained his favorite suit. "Oh, he's paying for this suit," he replied, highly annoyed.

"I'll see to it, Mister Oak," Giovanni replied. "For now, go get cleaned up. We've still got headlines to make and an opening night to enjoy."

* * *

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

As the uniformed officers of Kanto PD entered the casino, Giovanni opened his arms wide. "Thank you for arriving so quickly," he welcomed them.

One of them, an older man with greying-black hair and wearing a brown suit and long brown overcoat came up to the Rocket boss with a small smile and a nod. "Mister Sakaki. Pleasure to finally meet you. Special Agent Looker. Interpol."

Giovanni frowned. "Well, this is unexpected," he replied.

"Well, mister Oak did mention criminals from Hoenn and Sinnoh. I was in the area when his call came in. I understand you have an infamous jewel thief and information on several other high profile criminals?"

Giovanni quickly recovered. "Ah, yes, that explains it. If you'll come with me, I'll take you to our lockup so you can take them into custody."

Looker nodded, following with several of the Officer Jennies from the local police department. As they made their way to the elevators, Giovanni silently smiled. '_Soon, all of these people will be out of my hair and Rocket will become even more powerful,'_ he thought to himself.

As the group exited the elevator and moved into the secure section of their lockup area, however, Giovanni frowned. "Where are my guards?" he asked rhetorically.

Inside the holding cell, the unguarded holding cell, was a laptop. Cupping his chin in thought, Looker moved to the laptop, starting it up.

Giovanni blinked in confusion, moving to pull out his phone. To his surprise, however, it began ringing on his way there. "Giovanni. Speak," he replied curtly.

"Mister Sakaki, we have a problem," the reply came, with Giovanni recognizing the voice of his chief of security.

"What?" he asked, annoyed.

"Our security systems just went down completely. Cameras are out of commission, all the footage has been deleted. There's something in the system eating our network like a Munchlax," he reported.

Giovanni's expression fell and was about to reply to his security chief when Looker cleared his throat. "Mister Sakaki? A moment?"

Looking back at Looker, Giovanni shot a glare. "I'm a little busy right now, Agent," he replied.

"Well, perhaps you can explain these documents and videos?" he asked.

"What are they labeled as?"

"Break in," Looker confirmed.

"That should be all the evidence you need," Giovanni explained, turning his attention back to the phone. "Fix the problem. Now."

"Officers, can you please take Mister Sakaki into custody?"

Giovanni spun around, his eyes wide. "What?!" he retorted.

"Well, you've confirmed these files are legitimate, and from the looks of them? There are a great deal of files here that don't paint you in the best light. Allegations of smuggling, contract hits, arms trafficking, Pokémon poaching…"

Giovanni blinked in disbelief. "That can't be right," he said as two of the Officer Jennies moved to cuff him. "No," he continued, pulling away from them. "Those must have been doctored!"

Looked smiled. "Yet you confirmed them. Officers, would you mind taking him down to the station? Along with anyone on this roster marked 'Team Rocket'? Thank you."

* * *

Private Warehouse, Celadon City, Kanto

"You know, I could have done without the headbutt."

Ash laughed, helping to unload the duffle bags from the Rocket van. "It sold the part," he retorted. "You know, you had me a bit worried there," Ash confessed.

Gary only smiled. "Come on, all part of the plan, after all. Just be happy it all timed out well," he replied.

* * *

Celadon Game Corner Casino, Celadon City, Kanto

_(Flashback)_

"_May, you've got thirty seconds. I've got to move," Max said into his headset to his sister, resetting the cameras to record from their loop. _

_The loop that kept the Rocket security forces from watching May crack the vault and move duffle bags filled with millions in cash to the top of the elevator._

"_Got it, Max. Good luck," she replied._

_Max chuckled, pulling the rest of his Team Rocket disguise on. _

"_Berlitz, Maple, Waterflower, you three ready?" Paul asked, getting his mask and hat sorted._

_Three nods were returned. Quickly, the four made their way to the elevators, heading to the twentieth floor. And as the elevator doors opened, Max grinned beneath his mask as Silver Sakaki made his way onto the elevator. _

"_You four. We have an intruder in the vault. Come with me."_

* * *

Private Warehouse, Celadon City, Kanto

"Once Giovanni was placated, all we had to do was take the duffles and the 'prisoners' to the truck Misty so lovingly replicated, and we're home free," Ash said with a grin, loading bags of cash into vehicles on the floor of the warehouse.

"Ash," May replied, "There's got to be just over twenty million dollars here," she explained.

Gary grinned. "Split seven ways, that's about three million apiece, give or take," he quickly added up.

"Well, for you guys, at least," Ash replied. "Most of mines going to the families the Rocket's have hurt."

Misty chuckled. "You never change, do you?"

May smiled. "I think it's sweet, personally. But, that said, only most?" she pried with her mischievous smile.

Ash smirked, shrugging. "I did blow all my life savings here for this," he reminded her.

"Don't know about you, but my cash is getting shipped back to Sinnoh and stored," Paul replied, hauling a pair of duffle bags into the trunk of his muscle car.

"Sounds about right," Dawn replied with a smile. "Hey, we did it. We took down Team Rocket and got out with millions."

Max nodded. "I gotta hand it to ya, Ash. This plan was genius. Crazy, but genius."

Misty laughs. "That's Ash. Mad genius," she remarked. "Either way, we're all packed up, Ash. We're ready to go whenever you are."

Sighing, the raven-haired man came to stand in front of his crew. "I'll keep it short, because we've got to be on the road before Rocket retaliates or the PD come add us to the list of criminal arrests tonight," he told them, looking at them each. "Thank you. All of you. Without you, I'd still be angry at Rocket and powerless to do anything about it. So thank you."

The six all nodded.

May and Max smiled, arms around each other's shoulders.

Paul gave a rough smirk, crossing his arms.

Gary gave his signature smirk as he leaned against his sports car.

Dawn gave him a polite nod and a dazzling smile.

And Misty closed her eyes and bowed her head, a smile on her lips.

Ash cleared his throat and continued. "You all did your jobs brilliantly, and I hope you all enjoy your money. Where you go now, just know you have my thanks. And if you ever need anything, I'll be there."

As the seven got into their respective vehicles and drove off, Ash looked back at the shining lights of the Celadon City Game Corner Casino, a faint smile played on his face. '_I did it. I did it mom. Rocket's done for.'_ And as he and Gary drove back towards the highway to Cerulean City and eventually Pallet, Ash could finally relax.

* * *

**Six Months Later**

Hearthome City, Sinnoh

"Look, Kenny. I'm sorry. I really am. But I've got a show to get to with my boyfriend."

The auburn-haired man sighed heavily. "So, there's nothing I can do to change your mind?" he asked defeatedly.

Dawn gave him a sad smile, shaking her head. "Listen, I've got to go… Take care of yourself, alright?"

Kenny nodded, sullenly heading back to his car. Dawn stood in the airport terminal, watching as he left, slightly sad for him but realizing it was for the best.

"Troublesome, you ready to go?"

Smiling, Dawn turned to the taciturn man walking up to her. She nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be. You're sure this plan will succeed?" she asked her partner in crime.

Paul simply smirked. "Of course. The Stradivarius will be in the vault below the concert hall. All courtesy of Cyrus Akagi," he explained.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" she asked with a chuckle, heading towards her car, Paul walking behind her, shaking his head.

"Here's hoping tonight you don't get arrested," he teased.

"It was one time!"

* * *

Cerulean Racing Circuit, Cerulean City, Kanto

"Like, come on Misty. You expect us to believe some great uncle Leo left you a sports car?" Violet asked.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Just because you haven't met them, Violet, doesn't mean we don't have relatives who know how to look out for their family," she retorted as she worked on the engine of her new bright orange sports car, matching her hair.

"Well at least give us a ride, then, Mist," Daisy whined.

She simply smirked. "Can't. Promised a friend to take him on a time trial to break the car in first," she explained.

Lily was the last to speak up. "Oh? Don't like tell me you and Ash got back together or something," she asked.

Misty was about to answer when a blue sports car drove into the garage area she was working in, causing her to smirk. "No, it's not Ash," she told them, pointing at the car where Gary was getting out, dressed well with his signature smirk in place.

"'Sup Red!" he called out, holding up a hand in greeting, causing the three older Waterflower sisters to gape.

"Gary Oak?!" Violet asked in disbelief.

"Of the Oak Family?!" Lily chimed in.

"Like, the richest bachelor in Kanto?!" Daisy finished, stupified.

Misty only grinned smugly, closing the hood of her new car. "Took your time getting here, Oak," she taunted playfully.

Gary simply shrugged, his smirk still in place as he made his way to the passenger side of her car. "You can't rush the perfection that is Gary Oak," he replied pompously, hopping in as Misty pulled herself into the driver's seat, ignoring the fact that her sisters were green with envy and nearly to the point of drooling.

"So, ready to see Kanto at a hundred and twenty miles per hour?"

And Misty laughed as Gary screamed like a little girl as they took off onto the track.

* * *

Slateport City, Hoenn

"Max, what did you do to my favorite rigging?!" May screeched as she tore around the sibling's base, looking for her little brother.

"I improved it!" he shouted in his defense, looking for anything that could help him survive his sister's onslaught.

"It's _green_!" she shouted back, marching towards her brother to strangle.

Just then, the door to the warehouse opened, admitting Ash with several boxes of food from May's favorite ramen restaurant. "Food's here!" he called out.

Max silently thanked Ash's expert timing as his sister rapidly switched gears, jogging off towards their kitchen to get bowls ready.

"I told ya to make it red," he told the young genius with a smirk as he passed.

Max rolled his eyes, smiling as he got up for dinner.

As the trio settled in at their table, going over their next heist, Ash smiled at the pair. Max, one of his newest and good friends, the young genius who surprised him every day. And May, the girl whose love of life, happy-go-lucky personality, and heart of gold who showed him there could be honor among thieves.

* * *

And there you have it! Now, you all can stop plotting my death for the Gary twist, kthxbai. Either way, I appreciate all the love this story has gotten and hope you all are satisfied and enjoyed the ending. I -might- pick this up for a sequel at some point, but for now, HCHawke signing off. God Bless!


	6. NEW ANNOUNCEMENT

**THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT**

Evenings guys. So, I've wanted to write a followup to the Celadon Job for months now. Unfortunately, due to certain aspects of the story and how I left it, I find that difficult. I am also unhappy with certain scenes and errors.

So, I'm here to announce the impending release of The Celadon Job: Redux. I will be going through the Celadon Job, making small edits and adding new scenes, including several small rewrites to the ending to make things clearer. I will be posting the chapters as I make the edits, and it should hopefully be done by the weekend. Conversely, as you might have noticed, this version is being renamed "The Celedon Job: Early Draft".

For the Redux, I may also take suggestions on new scenes or twists. All in all, hopefully you all enjoy it! See you soon.


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